A Journey of the Heart
by HoldOnToThisLullabye
Summary: Evelyn Munroe could never have dreamt of where life would lead her when she left America. She could never have imagined falling in love with another country only to be pulled away from her new home by a war that would shake the entire world. And she certainly never could have imagined how one man would capture her heart in the midst of such chaos and destruction.
1. A Journey Begins

_Hello there all you lovely, wonderful, beautiful people. Okay, so this is my very first story to be posted on fanfiction. Therefore, I can't promise it will be perfect but I will try to make it as entertaining as possible. Please let me know what you think. _

_As for the disclaimers, well, here goes. I don't own anything related to War Horse. (That includes Captain Nicholls; and now I am crying uncontrollably!) I only claim the original characters or ideas that happen to get thrown into this story._

_I should warn you all ahead of time that this story may very likely deviate from the movie/book. I am usually a stickler for historical accuracy particularly when dealing with anything related to a major war. However, in order to make things sound plausible, I had to do a little tweeking to certain historical details. My history teachers and professors from years past would throw an absolute conniption fit if they knew! I'm sure you'll see what I mean as the story progresses._

_Alrighty then, shall we begin? Hope everyone enjoys and thanks for reading._

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**_Chapter__ 1:_**

"Evie, come on girl! For pity's sake, they're leavin' without ya." A slim built copper-topped boy ran through the streets of Devon trailed by a petite blonde. He was lugging a suitcase and yelling over his shoulder as he dodged between the groups of people gathered along the road leading out of town.

As the woman raced to catch up to the boy, her skirts gathered up in her hands in an unladylike fashion, she drew quite a lot of attention. She could hear the whispers from a few of the older town women as she flew past them.

"Can ya believe her? That ain't any decent way for a lady to act. Ya don't see none of our girls scampering around with their skirts hiked up like that, showing off everything God gave 'em. What a disgrace! Why she's an absolute embarrassment to those poor Langstons."

She ignored them just as she always did, but couldn't help smiling when she heard Mrs. Kent say, "Considering the fact that she's done more for the people of this town than most of you I'd say they have nothin' to be embarrassed about."

She honestly adored that cantankerous old maid. Mrs. Kent had a mean disposition, but for some reason she had taken a liking to Evelyn as soon as she showed up here in Devon. Evie had always figured it was just because she seemed to be an instant thorn in the sides of several of the elder women in town and dear Mrs. Kent seemed to derive more pleasure from that than any one person probably should. Her aunt however had suggested that it was because some of the women took offense at Evie being American, but that Mrs. Kent had relatives over there as well and therefore felt a bit protective of her. Whatever the reason, she was grateful for all the allies she could get.

"Evie, hurry it up will ya?" The boy yelled out to her again, drawing her attention back to him. She realized he was already running past a column of new recruits as he tried to make his way to the wagon that held two of her friends and the rest of the nurses. She pushed herself harder and was soon in a dead run trying desperately to reach her cousin who now held the majority of her personal belongings in his hand.

"I'm coming Harry." When she passed the men, much to her discomfort, she was greeted with several whistles and hoots along with a few tawdry comments. Had she the time she would have gladly turned on her heels and proceeded to give those filthy pigs a piece of her mind but as it was she was in too big of a hurry. Besides, she had to admit that running through a group of roused and rowdy men while showing off one's legs was a sure fire way of gaining some undesirable attention.

As she passed them, Evie came upon a sight she had hoped she wouldn't have to witness. Joey, Albert's horse, was being led in the line of wagons, a car, other horses, and soldiers by a gruff looking sergeant. So Albert's father had been forced to sell the one thing that meant the most to the boy. Poor Albie, he must be devastated. She understood why his family had to make this difficult decision but it still caused her grief to see that it had come to such a thing. She tried her best not to spook the poor stallion more than he already was as she ran past.

"Evie, get a move on or we're gonna leave ya." Evie heard Vera, one of her dearest and closest friends, yell out from the back of the wagon which her young red-headed cousin was now jogging beside as he chucked her suitcase into it.

Evie was coming up on a car, which at the moment was just barely creeping along, what with the bog down in traffic from the wagons and soldiers on foot. She noticed from the back that a very tall uniformed figure was occupying the rear seat of said car. He was certainly an officer; obviously the current ranking leader of this small band of newly recruited misfits. However, she hadn't the time to get a good look at him as she rushed to catch the nurses' wagon which was just ahead.

"Evelyn Grace Munroe, what in creation do you think you're doing? You nearly missed you're ride to the war." Dorothy, Evie's other best friend whom everyone simply referred to as Dottie or Dot, stood up and waved frantically at the now nearly sprinting blonde.

"Oh dear me, that would have been tragic." Vera piped up and then began to giggle loudly as she stood to greet her friend as well.

Evie flew right past the officer's car, hoping upon hope that she would escape any reprimand or punishment for her unladylike behavior. She finally slowed to a moderate jog as she came to the wagon. It struck her as funny that the old rickety transport was in that very moment one of the most beautiful sights she'd ever laid eyes on. Her poor feet were aching having just run nearly two miles in boots that were made for daintier more gentile activities, like tea parties and church services. She was ready to prop her throbbing tootsies up and kick back to enjoy the rest of their trip to camp.

But she still had one last obstacle to overcome. The fact was that these wagons weren't the easiest things to load oneself into even when they were sitting still; but this one was moving, and at a fairly decent pace now too.

"Here, I'll give ya a boost while the girls there pull ya up." Her cousin Harry made to grab her waist.

"Hold on a minute." Evie swatted his hands away. "I am perfectly capable of handling this." She grinned widely up at him. Leaning closer to him she whispered, "Just don't let me fall and get run over by that officer's car. It would be quite humiliating." Harry grinned back as he began to chuckle.

With her right hand, she continued to hold her skirts out of the way. She then reached up to grasp the side of the wagon with her left as she jumped with the speed and agility of a cat to catch a foothold on a hanging step. She faltered a bit and let out a high-pitched squeak as the wagon hit a large bump in the road and lurched slightly in the opposite direction. But Vera and Dottie were there clutching onto her shoulder and arm and dear Harry was still steadily jogging along beside her; ready to save her from becoming a flattened mess in the event she fell. What she did not see was a certain concerned captain tense at the sight of her near accident.

"Evie hang on." Vera and Dottie yanked on her arms and heaved her up into the back of the wagon. Unfortunately, they neglected to gauge their combined strength and all ended up falling into a heap of tangled limbs, hair, and twisted up skirts. Evie peeped out from beneath her now mussed blonde waves and began to laugh hysterically.

Upon looking at the now almost comical appearance of one another, Vera and Dottie soon joined in. Within a few moments the women were in such fits that tears of happiness and mirth began to flow. The other nurses in the wagon watched in varied degrees of shock and disapproval as the three friends tugged, pulled, pushed, struggled, stumbled, and fell back down only to repeat the process a couple more times before giving up and continuing to roll around in hysterics.

In the car behind them, the same captain that had been worried for the safety of the fair-haired lass only moments earlier was now fighting to contain a silly grin that was threatening to give away his delight at seeing the playfulness of the women.

Suddenly, a loud cough caught all of their attention. Poor Harry was still dutifully jogging alongside the wagon waiting patiently for the women to calm themselves so that he could say a final farewell to his cousin.

"Oh gosh Harry, I'm so sorry." Evie scrambled to pull herself out of the pile and stood up towards the rear of the wagon. She reached out and took his hand, which was resting on the back of the seat she was leaning over.

"Take care of yourself now Evie. All you girls take care." Harry grinned weakly up at the women who were packed tightly into the wagon along with the few belongings they would be allowed to tote with them on this journey. "Be sure and write as often as ya can. And don't go gettin' yourself hurt or killed. Mum and Dad would never forgive ya if ya didn't come back to us." He winked at his cousin, who only mock-glared at him before breaking into a laugh.

"I promise, but only if you promise to look after Aunt Beatrice and Uncle Frank and give Georgie a hug and kiss for me every day." He nodded his agreement. "And please stay out of trouble Harry." She squeezed his hand firmly before releasing it and waving to him as his jogging came to a halt at the edge of the road.

Evelyn fought back the tears that were threatening to overflow. She had sworn several days ago that she would not allow herself to fall apart in front of any of her family; for her sake as well as theirs'. It would only make leaving that much more difficult. No, she would be the epitome of strength for the ones she loved. After all, it had been her decision to sign up for this grand adventure in the first place. She had felt that there was no way she would be able to just sit idly by as her friends went off to help in the war effort; especially given her extensive experience as a nurse. She had no dreams of grandeur or hopes of becoming a frontline field hospital heroine; just a thought that perhaps the knowledge and skills that she possessed could be put to good use in the coming war. And so now here she stood, rocking back and forth in an old run-down wagon on her way to God only knew what.

As they passed over the small bridge leading out of town, Evelyn saw Albert standing on the other side of the stream. He was crying and looking on as Joey was led away, very possibly never to be seen again. "Albert, do not fret. All will be well." She called out to him trying desperately to fill him with some kind of hope.

"Keep a watch over him as long as you can will you Evie?" The quiver in his voice made her heart ache. Of course she would keep an eye on Joey. Both he and Albert meant a lot to her and her family. She would be there for them when they needed her most. "You have my word." She waved one final time to the boy, giving him her most encouraging smile before she turned away to take a seat.

As she did, Evie happened to look out over the trailing procession of men and horses. When her gaze drifted to the car that drove along only a few yards behind them, her eyes locked with the officer she had noticed earlier in the back seat. Her breath caught in her throat for a moment when she saw just how handsome he was. He looked so distinguished in his uniform that he could very well have passed as a royal traveling in a grand procession. She noted the bars and markings on his uniform indicating that he was a cavalry captain. How intriguing!

Coming back to her senses, Evie realized he must have been watching and listening to her interaction with Albert. It was confirmed when he looked over his shoulder to the disappearing figure of the boy and then back up at her. So he must have been the officer that purchased Joey and by the look on his face, he was clearly concerned with Albert's distraught reaction.

She thought perhaps that he might be upset with the idea that Albert had asked a woman to keep an eye on the horse even knowing full well that it would be under his care. But the captain surprised Evie when he simply gave her an understanding nod and flashed a kind smile to her. She returned the gesture and took her seat beside her friends, readying herself for the long journey ahead.


	2. Evie's Past Becoming a Nurse

_So I just have to say first and foremost that I absolutely love all of you who reviewed and are following my story. Then I have to sincerely apologize for taking so blasted long to update. You can't imagine how much I have obsessed over this chapter. I've rewritten parts of it several times. I still don't know if I'm completely satisfied but here it is; and it's a long one too. I figured I'd better make up for having you all wait so long for an update. This one will give a bit more insight into Evie's past. I'll be posting another chapter in the next day or two that will finish out the explanation of how Evie came to find herself in England. I'd include it here, but you poor folks would be reading something like six or seven thousand words if I did! _

**_Lady Krystalyn: _**_Would it be too creepy if I said you are now one of my favorite people? :) Your review was so sweet and so helpful. You gave me some wonderful advice and I intend to take it. It makes me feel much better about the historical deviation. Glad to meet a history major that understands how difficult it can be to stray from the absolute facts at times. Though while doing research for this story, I have found out that the movie itself is really offbase when it comes to historical accuracy, throughout the battle scenes in particular. Of course, to make movies more interesting, they rarely stick to the truth and nothing but the truth. At least it makes me more comfortable about the liberties I'm going to take later on. Anyway, thanks so much. Really. You made my day with your encouraging words. Please continue to let me know what you think. Any constructive criticism you may have is welcomed and sincerely appreciated._

**_darkvampirerose: _**_Aww, you're too kind. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing. I'm thrilled that you like it so far. Hope you continue to follow along and please let me know what you think._

**_It's a story: _**_Thanks so much for reviewing. Glad to hear that you enjoyed that first chapter. I'm not sure this one will be as exciting, but I promise in a few days that I'll be getting back to the good stuff. In other words - Captain Nicholls!_

**_immysaurus: _**_You are just too nice. It's so helpful to hear that someone likes my writing style. I tend to be very critical of my own work. I'll pick it apart for days before I post it. So hearing from you really gave me the boost I needed to continue on this week. Thanks ever so much. I hope you keep reviewing and please be sure to leave any advice you think might make it better. _

**_FlamePumpkin32: _**_Okay, this is going to sound a little weird since I don't know you, but I have the strangest urge to hug you. I love your writing and so hearing from you was a very pleasant surprise. I'm glad you like the idea of an American being in the middle of things. I was afraid of how well that would be received, since there obviously aren't any Americans in the movie. I hope the next couple of chapters explain how she ended up in England while remaining believable. And I promise I'm going to try and throw in some interesting twists that will hopefully make this story unique and different. Please let me know if it starts to sound too familiar or boring. I really do appreciate your opinion. Thanks for the help._

_Alright, shall we get on with the story? Hope you enjoy and again, sorry it's so long this time. The next part will be up in a day or two since it sort of wraps up the details of Evie's past and catches us up to the timeline of the movie and book. Thanks again for all of the reviews and those that are following. Love you guys. (Just a hint: You may want to imagine a southern American accent while reading this chapter. :) )_

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**Chapter 2:**

"Papa, papa, I did it. I passed the state licensure exam. Can you believe it? I'm now officially a registered nurse." Evie ran through the large mansion screaming at the top of her lungs. "Well at least I will be after the graduation ceremony next week." She was ecstatic, exuberant. She was on top of the world over having just received her marks, which were some of the highest in her class, from the state board.

Evelyn Munroe lived in Virginia which, to her benefit, was one of only four states in the country at that time that were licensing and registering women as nurses. She was also fortunate that she lived only a few miles from the school and hospital where she had done all of her training. Her education had been much more extensive going through this program than the typical hospital diploma programs of the day. It had been two years, but she was finally at the end of the long road and ready to begin her journey in life as a nurse.

"Papa where are you?" She flitted from room to room, thinking that perhaps her father was playing a game with her. Even though she was a young woman now, the two of them would often play, tease, and joke with one another. It was one of the many reasons Evie loved the man so very dearly. He had always been such a jolly-spirited fellow and had passed that same carefree and happy-go-lucky nature on to his only child.

"Miss, your daddy isn't here." Evie spun around to come face to face with Chester.

Chester was a kind, older gentleman who had worked as the family's driver and her father's personal attendant since her parents had married and purchased this home. Aside from Chester, the only other people that worked for them were Jeb, who acted as the grounds keeper and stable hand, Martha the cook, and Constance the maid. Though her father made a very comfortable living, they did not feel it necessary to have their estate overrunning with servants. All four had worked for Evelyn's father since before her birth. They were a part of the family and were treated as such, even in the company of business acquaintances and other friends and relations. This had caused a stir on more than one occasion but Evie's parents were adamant about the fact that they would not allow Chester, Jeb, Martha, or Constance to be spoken down to or treated unkindly.

"Oh, hello Chester." She briefly acknowledged him with a warm grin then turned on her heels and disappeared from the large sitting room. "Well that's a shame. I swear, lately he's been getting called into the office more and more. Oh did you hear? I passed my examinations." The bubbly blonde didn't even wait for his answer before continuing on. "I know you were to pick me up in another hour Chester, but as luck would have it we finished up a little early. We did our rounds this morning at the hospital then went to class to get our test results and the details for the graduation. Mrs. Whitman said we all did so well that we deserved the rest of the day off so I just fetched a ride with one of my classmates. She and her mother were more than happy to drop me off since it was on their way out to visit the Jacksons."

Unbeknownst to Evelyn, Chester followed along behind her not so patiently waiting for an opportunity to interject; though given the young woman's tendency to ramble uncontrollably, he wasn't likely to get the chance any time soon.

"My goodness, what is Martha cooking? It smells absolutely divine. Do you think maybe I can sneak a sample before dinner?" Evie prattled on and on as she made her way back down the hall towards the study; quite eager to take advantage of the new opportunity to read a book that contained something, anything, other than medical jargon and terminology.

When she actually did take a breath, Chester used the opportunity to cut into the conversation that had up to this point been completely one-sided. "Miss Evie, your daddy wasn't called away on business. He's been taken to the hospital."

Evie stopped dead in her tracks and slowly turned around to face Chester once again; utter shock twisting her expression. As she finally took the time to really study him, she noticed that his own expression was rather grave.

"Wh...what do you mean he's been taken to the hospital?"

Just before he could speak, Evie heard a shuffling of skirts and a clicking of shoes on the hardwood floors as Martha came scurrying out of the kitchen and into the hallway were they now stood.

The woman immediately rushed to Evelyn's side and wrapped her in a tight embrace. "Oh my dear child, you poor, poor dear. It'll all be alright. I'm sure of it. Your daddy's a strong man and I've no doubt that he'll recover from this in no time at all."

Evie fought to pry herself loose from the woman's firm grip. "Will someone please tell me what on Earth is going on?"

Martha glared back at poor Chester, who simply stood there looking helpless. "You didn't tell her?"

He shrugged his shoulders and hung his head like a scolded child. "I tried. But before I could get it out, she took to ramblin' and…" Instead of finishing his sentence, the elderly man stepped forward and gave Evie's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "I'll go get the car ready Miss Evie." He then turned to shuffle down the hallway.

Evie watched his retreat to the back of the house, noting how heavy his footsteps seemed to be. She was snapped out of her momentary observance when Martha once again pulled her into a smothering bear hug.

"Evie dear, your daddy took ill while you were gone to class today. He seemed fine at breakfast and durin' most of the mornin', but sometime just before noon he collapsed in the study."

Evie instantly drew back from the older woman. "What do you mean before noon? That was nearly two and a half hours ago. Why wasn't I sent for?"

"I know you're upset, but Evie girl you've gotta listen to me. You're daddy demanded that we not interrupt you, this bein' your last day of class and all. You know how stubborn he is. We all begged and pleaded with him to have Chester rush down there and fetch you, but he flat out refused. Said if we did that he'd fire us all. I've never in all my years heard your daddy speak to us in such a tone. But he only did it because he was tryin' to do what he thought was best for you. He knew how important this day was to you Evie."

"Yes but….but what if he had….?" She couldn't bring herself to say the word that was running through her mind. "Oh Martha, what would I do? I can't lose him, not after already losing mama. Oh Martha…" Evie let out a gasp of air as the tears sprang forth and began to steadily flow.

Martha gripped her shoulders tightly; her boney fingers digging into Evie's flesh even through the thick blue material of her sleeves. "You listen to me and listen good. You stop thinkin' like that, you hear? Your daddy is gonna be just fine." She stood there staring into Evie's eyes until the girl calmed down and shook her head in agreement.

"Good, now the best thing you can do for him is remain strong. When he comes back home, whinin' and cryin' about things that can't be changed in front of him won't make it any better. He's gonna need real help; the kind that you can give now that you're a nurse." Martha smiled encouragingly at her as she released the death-grip she had on her arms.

"I understand. I'm sorry Martha. I didn't mean to be hysterical. I shouldn't have reacted in such a way. I was just…."

Before she could finish, the old woman quickly interjected. "Child that is your daddy. If you hadn't cried at least a little bit, I would have had to wonder about you. But you've gotta get all of that out of your system before you go to the hospital."

Evie took a deep breath as she wiped away the few remaining tears from her eyes. "Thank you."

It was all that she needed to say. Martha had been with the girl since she was born, and after all these years, she had an uncanny ability to read Evie's thoughts and feelings. She often knew what Evie would say before she herself did, which sometimes left the young woman more than a little frustrated when she was caught not being completely truthful.

Though at times she may have wished Martha wasn't quite so intuitive, Evie had always felt comforted by the kind of closeness she had with the older woman; particularly after her mother Elizabeth had died. Martha had been an anchor, a life preserver in the tumultuous and violent sea of despair that Evie had fallen into during that time. She had a calm and gentle way of consoling Evie while using a no-nonsense approach in delivering advice which was exactly what the often erratic blonde needed.

"Come along now. Chester should have the car brought around." Martha took her hand and led her to the front door.

The woman wrapped a thin shawl around Evie's shoulders and handed her a cream-colored pair of gloves. "Give him our best and tell him we'll be seein' him soon."

Evie stepped forward and pulled Martha into a hug then kissed her on the cheek before turning to make her way out to the car.

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Upon arriving at the hospital, Evelyn practically ran to the front desk. "I'm here to see my father. Jacob Munroe."

"Yes Miss. He's on the second floor, room 46. Just take the stairs up, then turn to your right, and then make a left down the second hallway. He'll be towards the end." The receptionist motioned towards the stairwell before turning to help the next person.

"Thank you," Evie mumbled quickly as she rushed up towards the stairs; taking two at a time once she got there.

She found him soon enough, propped up in his bed and resting peacefully. To look at him, one wouldn't have believed there was a thing wrong. He was a bit pale, but aside from that, he looked rather well for a man who had nearly… No, she wouldn't think on that anymore. It was just as Martha had said. He would be alright. They simply needed to get him home where she could begin to look after him properly. Evie certainly had nothing against the hospital or the staff, being that she knew most of them rather well, but she felt that her father would be more comfortable in his own home and his own bed. The fact that she would feel an enormous amount of relief knowing he was close was of course only a minor consideration.

Just as she went to take a seat in a chair that had been pulled up beside the bed, Jacob stirred awake. "Evie girl, my little angel, you're here." He rubbed his eyes, trying desperately to clear them, as though he had for a moment believed she was simply a figment of his imagination.

"Of course I am Papa. Though I would have been here much sooner had someone seen fit to inform me of what happened." She shot him a disapproving look as she shook her head.

"I'm sorry my dear. But I was not about to let something so trivial interfere with your big day." He rushed on before she could mount a counter-attack to his statement, which judging by the look on her face, had been poorly received. "So tell me now, how did it go?"

Forgetting how irritated she currently was with him, Evie bounced with excitement as she blurted out, "I passed the licensure exam. I can now officially be a practicing nurse in the state of Virginia. I've finally done it Papa."

The smile that lit up Jacob's face, along with how he seemed to be absolutely beaming with pride, did not escape Evie. "Oh sunshine I'm so, so very proud of you. I wish your mother were here right now. She'd be thrilled, just simply beside herself with joy." He patted the top of the hand she had placed on his right arm. "Now when is the graduation?"

"Next Friday." She dropped her gaze to the floor as her heart fell just a bit, knowing he wouldn't be in any shape to attend.

"Well I plan to be there with bells on."

"But Papa, you can't. You're not well enough to sit through that long of a ceremony. No, no, I won't allow it. From now on you've got to take better care of yourself."

"Evelyn Grace Munroe, I am your father and I fully intend to be there when my only daughter, my only child, graduates from nursing school. There is not a thing on this Earth or in Heaven that could stop me, save God himself. Now if he tells me not to go then I'll stay at home. Reluctantly of course, but I'll stay home all the same. Otherwise, I am going." He stressed the last three words, letting her know without a doubt that there would be no further debating the issue.

"Very well, but you can bet that I'll be keeping a very strict eye on you this next week. I expect you to get plenty of rest and to follow the doctor's orders to a tee; no complaints, no stubbornness."

"Just like her mother," Jacob mumbled under his breath, though Evie heard him perfectly well.

"Now when did they say you could come home?"

"The day after tomorrow. I fought to be released today, but that doctor I've been saddled with is as hard-headed as….."

"You." Evie laughed at the mock-offended look that came and then quickly disappeared from her father's face before he also burst into laughter.

She stayed and talked with him for a while longer and then watched over him as he rested. It wasn't until the nurses came to run her off that she finally consented to leave until the following morning.

As she was leaving, Jacob came to long enough to wish her a good night. "Sleep well angel. Promise you won't worry about me. After all, I'll be seeing you bright and early tomorrow."

"Alright Papa, I promise. Get some more sleep and I'll be here as soon as visiting hours begin." She bent to give him a kiss on the forehead before she left to go track down Chester…..who had been patiently and dutifully waiting outside for the past four hours.

* * *

Evelyn did graduate and her father was in attendance, propped up in his wheel chair; though she had not exactly been keen on the idea. However his stubbornness had been too much for her, Martha, Chester, Jeb, and Constance to contend with. The man had never generally been one to be difficult to handle, but in negotiating his terms of care and treatment, he turned downright shrewd, as though he were conducting an important business transaction. As a means of appeasing him, they all finally consented to his demands. Despite all of the arguing, he had survived the event as had all of the rest of them.

Once that was past, Evie quickly settled into the role of her father's care taker. She was strict, or so he would grumble, but her efforts helped to keep him in relatively good shape for quite some time. The doctors had disclosed all of the details that her father had refused to share, or worse yet, had intentionally kept hidden from her. She found out through them that he had been having 'spells' for several months prior to the main event that morning in their home. Chest pains, blurred vision, nausea, light-headedness, fatigue, headaches; all of these had been reported complaints he'd been secretly seeing their family physician about.

Had he not been in such a delicate state, Evie would have thrown a tirade to let him know just how betrayed she felt. She told herself she didn't understand why he'd kept such things from her, but she knew it was a lie. He had always tried to protect her, to shelter her from the bad in the world. When her mother had been sick, he had made it a priority to keep the grim reports from her. At least he did so until the end, when he could no longer deny the truth or prolong the inevitable simply for the sake of her happiness. Evie understood his need to protect her, loved him for it in fact, but there were times when she wished he would just let her experience the pain and loss that was a very integral part of everyone's lives. In many ways, she felt it had weakened her. Her mother had always told her that she had a tender heart but sheltering her had only seemed to intensify this character trait.

And so it was, when her exhaustive efforts proved to no longer be enough to keep her father well, Evie began to come apart at the seams emotionally. To her benefit, she was an expert at hiding her poor emotional state from the others, with the exception of Martha of course. The older woman would try to console her and give her words of encouragement in private. While these kind gestures helped in some small way, nothing was ever truly able to pull her out of her newly acquired depression completely. Evie was losing her father, the only parent she had left. Her rock, her support, her guidance, her best friend, her comfort, it would all be gone; buried deep in the Earth with her papa's remains once he had travelled on from this plain of existence to the next. Evelyn was a young woman who should have been excited by the prospect of the long life full of potential that lay ahead of her, yet she could only seem to feel envious. Her papa would be in Heaven with her mama, and she would be left here all alone until it was her time to be called home to them.

One day while tending to Jacob, who had long since become completely bedridden and was now rarely conscious, Evie found a folded letter with her name shakily scribbled on the outside. It was lying underneath several papers that were scattered on top of the nightstand. Just as she was about to open it, Jacob's eyes shot open and he groaned loudly in pain as he grabbed his chest. Evie quickly reached for the syringe along with the bottle of morphine that the doctor had left. The dose she administered this time was much higher than what he would normally be given. Dr. Ashland had long since realized that when the end came, Evelyn would have the training to know what was happening. Therefore, he had been candid with her when he stated that the most important thing she could do when it occurred was to see to it that her father not be made to suffer in horrible pain as he passed.

Evie sat down on the bed beside him and placed her hand over his. She cooed and shushed him, calming him as best she could until the medicine took effect. Within moments, she heard his breathing begin to slow down and felt his trembling subside.

He weakly opened his tear-filled eyes to look up at his daughter for the last time. "I….love…you….angel." His voice was a mere whisper, his words barely coming now. "Will….watch…..over…..you….now."

"Oh papa, I love you too. I'm going to miss you so much." Although she could not hide her tears, Evie tried to hold it together as much as was possible for his sake. These were after all his last few moments. She could be strong for just a little longer. There would be all the time in the world to fall apart once he was gone.

"Tell Mama I said hello. Tell her I love her too and that I'll be seeing you both again someday." He squeezed her hand tightly and smiled the most brilliant smile she had ever seen before slipping away.

At that very moment, she broke. Her heart shattered into a million pieces and she just simply broke; emotionally, mentally, and physically. The fatigue from sleepless nights of waiting and watching at his bedside, the mental strain of always being on guard and on edge, and the emotional toll these several months had taken all caught up to her.

Martha heard her wailing all the way downstairs and ran to the back door to yell at Chester and Jeb who were playing a card game in the garden. Constance was already on her way, having just been down the hall tidying up Evie's room.

When she got there, what she saw broke the woman's heart. There lay Evie, sprawled across the now lifeless body of her father, sobbing and weeping in such a mournful tone that one could almost feel a deathly chill creep over their own flesh with every high-pitched cry.

Behind her, Martha, Chester, and Jeb came running through the doorway. The scene before them stirred the same reaction as it had in Constance. The four simply stood there, looking on as the young woman they had all known since birth let her grief pour out.

As the tears began to slow down, Martha was the first to step forward to comfort the girl. "Bless you little one. You were your daddy's angel. God knew you'd take good care of him in his last days. And now he's at home with your mama. I know it's hard dear, but life will go on for you. Your daddy and mama woulda wanted you to be happy. They loved you so very much."

Evie slowly stood and hugged the woman, thanking her as she did so for the thoughtful words. She then turned to the others and embraced them as well. After each of them had offered their own condolences, all but Martha made their way out of the room.

"I should start contacting everyone. We need to fetch Dr. Anderson so he can make the final declaration. Then we'll have to get a hold of Wilson's Funeral Home. Thank goodness Papa had the foresight to set up all the arrangements back when mama passed. I just don't know how I'd do all that. Then I suppose I'll need to let Mr. Talbert know to get all the paperwork together so that we can be prepared when the will is read. I'm sure Uncle Billy and Uncle Tim will want to move as quickly as possible on settling things with the business."

Martha could see that Evelyn was drowning in her sorrow. The rambling was just a side effect of her mind's inability to cope with what had happened. It was a defensive mechanism that the girl had had since she was a child. When she was overly excited, inconsolably sad, or fumingly irate, Evie would tend to jabber on and on as though she could talk her way through whatever was overwhelming her.

"Child, I'll take care of gettin' a hold of those that need gotten a hold of for right now. I think it's best if you just go lie down for a bit until the doctor can get here."

Evie made to protest but was stopped short when Martha grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the door. "Don't argue now. You've just been through somethin' that would be hard for anyone to handle. You need a little time to think on things and to rest up for what's ahead. The next few days are gonna be downright hectic. You best take some time to yourself while you can get it."

With great reluctance, Evie left the room and headed to her own. Naturally she did not rest, instead weeping quietly into her pillow until Martha called for her an hour and a half later.


	3. Evie's Past Leaving Home

_Hello there everyone. Okay, so I'm thinking after you read this chapter, you will all hate me a bit. I know I promised last time that this would be the chapter to explain how Evie ended up in England. Well it sort of does, but not so much. This is basically a filler chapter that I felt was a necessary evil. I'm so anxious to get back to the good stuff. (In other words, a little more of the good Captain.) But seriously, I felt that I needed to give Evie's past a little more attention. Call it the boring stuff if you like. I swear in the next chapter, she'll have made her way to England and we'll end up back in the present, so to speak. I can honestly say that this time since I've already finished it. I'll probably just go ahead and post it tomorrow, since I'm giving you guys a fairly uneventful chapter today. On a good note, this one will include some important details that may come in to play further in the story; such as a letter from Evie's father that will make an appearance at least a couple more times. I swear my mind has been completely mixed up. I've been writing chapters that aren't going to show up for quite some time. I absolutely love them, but they come towards the end of all of this. I think my brain is working backwards on this one. Anyway, thanks to everyone who reviewed and/or read the last chapter. I promise the story will pick back up after this one._

**_FlamePumpkin32:_**_ You are so wonderful and extremely helpful. I'm glad you are okay with finding out about Evie's past because there's more of that this time around as well. I agree with the idea that a little bit of history makes a story more interesting. I'm really putting the effort into researching this. I've always been interested in the World War I and World War II eras, having studied those extensively in school. However, I've been able to dig up some new information that I did not know or knew very little about. I love when stories expose us to things we weren't previously familiar with. Of course, most of this info will come into play later on as they get into the war. Anywho, thanks ever so much for taking the time out to let me know what you think. Any advice is always welcome and encouraged. It lets me know I'm heading in the right direction. Thanks again._

**_Lady Krystalyn: _**_Awww, I made you tear up? I was really hoping that I got the full emotional effect in there. She had after all lost not one, but both parents. I know that may have seemed a bit harsh for some, but I didn't want this story to be all rainbows and lollipops. There will be plenty of fluffy, cuddly moments on down the road, but there will also be a lot of weepy, go get your kleenex or puffs kind of moments. I just had to make her a rambler and I'm so glad you liked that detail. Evie was never intended to be a perfectly polished lady so I had to show some of the flaws or quirks in her personality. She's definitely not the typical heiress. There will be moments in the future where this will possibly get her into quite a bit of trouble, or at least, have her looking rather foolish at times. Thanks so much for pointing that out about the transitional thing. I had this weird idea in the back of my head for how I was going to work it out and you'll see that in the next chapter. It's kind of one of those waking up from a dream type things. But you were absolutely correct. I should have made that much more clear at the start of chapter two. Thank you so much for pointing out what is working and what could use a little work. You don't know just how helpful you are. *Big hugs coming your way.*_

**_OhSoFabulousDarling: *_**_I'm sending a hug right back to you.* I really am loving your story so please keep it up. Thanks so much for reviewing the last chapter. I hope this one isn't too much of a disappointment. I'm glad my writing made you almost cry in a good way. HEHEHEHE. I was going for full out sorrow so I'm happy to hear that came across. I am thrilled that my little American girl is getting so much love. She's not always going to have an easy go of it as some of the Brits won't take too kindly to her further in the story. There will be those that don't think much of her American ways. I don't mean any offense by this of course, so don't hate me. Thank you for letting me know what you think. It is greatly appreciated._

**_It's a story: _**_Well you are just the sweetest person ever. Your review absolutely made my day; heck, more like my week. Glad you're liking the story. I know her father's passing was rather depressing but I promise things will begin to look up for her soon enough. And I swear that Captain Nicholls will make a glorious reappearance in the next chapter. I'm so sorry he's not in this one, but I had to get all of Evie's past wrapped up neatly so that everyone had a good idea of what she'd previously been through. It will also help to explain where her viewpoint on many issues comes from later on. Thank you so much for taking the time to review. It means a lot._

_And now on with the story._

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**Chapter 3:**

Martha had been right of course. The next few days were indeed hectic. In fact, utterly chaotic would probably have been a more fitting description.

The first three days had been spent receiving visitors, most of which Evie barely knew or didn't know at all. Many were business acquaintances of some sort while others where townspeople who had benefited from the generosity of her parents over the years. It truly warmed her heart to hear of the high esteem in which her father was held by all of these people.

The funeral was a blur for Evie. Perhaps it was because she was in a sleep-deprived daze through most of it, or perhaps it was because she was intentionally blocking out the majority of what could be seen or heard.

The next day was the reading of the will, in which Jacob had left instructions for his part of the business to be sold to his partners at the fair price he had negotiated with them just before his death. Jacob Munroe had made his fortune by investing in anything that was a proven money maker. Some of his business exploits included railways, logging and lumber production, steel mills, industrial contracting, and ship building. These were just of few of the many diverse areas of industry and construction that he and his partners had taken on over the years. Jacob had been the brains of the operation, always seeming to know what the 'next big thing' would be. He would spend many a long hour researching a new venture before he would recommend they jump into it. And his work had always paid off in spades.

Jacob had long since known that there would come a day when something would have to be done with his third of the business. It had been thoroughly discussed between him and his partners, along with his wife Elizabeth when she was still alive. They had been unable to have any more children after Evelyn, making their only heir a daughter. Jacob had never been upset by this fact, but times being what they were, the idea for many of not having a son to hand their business down to was a great disappointment. He knew that even if Evie would have had the inclination, there would have been no way to leave a woman in charge of his affairs.

Fortunately he did not have to break his daughter's heart by denying her that right, seeing as how she clearly had no interest whatsoever in anything remotely related to what he did for a living. Oh she was certainly concerned on his behalf, always worried that it was too much strain for him to keep up the long hours or put up with the headache and frustration that often came from owning a company that large. She would listen intently while he spoke about the goings-on at work, but he knew in his heart that those types of things did not appeal to her. It was sad to say, but he had always been rather relieved by that fact. After all, women were not supposed to take a keen interest in such things.

However, even though Evie showed little interest in talk of business and industry, she was thoroughly engrossed with politics, sports, and other generally male-reserved topics. Jacob and Elizabeth had realized very early on in Evelyn's life that she was not a typical little girl of course. They had encouraged her free spirit and forward thinking, but realistically they understood that if she were ever to be fully accepted into a society setting, she would need to learn how to guard her words and actions carefully. After all, it was one thing to allow her to speak freely about non-feminine topics at home but quite another to allow her to do so in public.

When Elizabeth died however, this theory went right out the window. Whether it had been due to the fact that Jacob felt Evie had been cheated in some way by having her mother taken from her at such a young age and then ended up spoiling her in an effort to make up for it or that he had felt guilty for having tried to 'change' her all those years to make her more suitable for society, one could only guess. But the taming of Evie came to an abrupt halt the day they put her mother in the ground. Jacob actually began to encourage her to openly speak her mind, regardless of the setting, though he did insist on her doing so in a mannerly fashion. He allowed her to make her own decisions, which sometimes led to rather unpleasant outcomes. But no matter what, he supported her. And then when she turned eighteen he had absolutely shocked everyone by allowing her to enroll in nursing school, against the recommendations of his friends and partners to the contrary. It was clear at that point that Evie would not be choosing the typical lifestyle of a young, wealthy heiress.

When Jacob received the report from his doctor that he would be lucky to see his next birthday, he hid it from Evie but went straightaway to Billy and Tim, his long-time business partners and best friends. He worked out an arrangement with them that would leave Evie set for life, regardless of what she decided to do with her future, along with any grandchildren he would never have the opportunity to meet. But he would at least rest easy knowing they would have a rather large fortune to live off of.

Out of the money from this buyout, Martha, Chester, Jeb, and Constance were each given a generous sum to 'retire on' as he had put it. "Bless their hearts; they've put up with my sorry stubborn ass for long enough. Now that they're finally rid of me, those poor tortured souls all deserve to live out the rest of their lives in a little bit of peace and quiet." Jacob's sense of humor had made its way into his last will and testament, which came as no surprise to the people who had known him best.

Evie inherited an exorbitant sum of money, including whatever was left out of the selling of Jacob's business shares, along with all of the property and everything therein. Jacob had been an only child and Evie's grandparents had passed some time ago, which left no one on his side to divide anything with. Elizabeth's only living family was a brother who lived with his wife and two children in England. Evie had never met them in person, though they corresponded regularly through letters. When she was a young child, she would draw pictures of her horse, the estate, her friends, and of various things in town to send to them. Their children, her cousins, had returned the favor when they came along. Jacob had left to them a rather large amount of money, though the likelihood of them taking it was slim. They had only ever accepted a few of the financial gifts that Evie's parents had periodically sent to them over the years.

Jacob left instruction that it would be best if Evie either stay with 'Uncle Billy' or 'Uncle Tim' and their families until such time that she could come to a sound decision about her future. The men were referred to as uncles because they had known Evelyn her entire life. She had grown up with their children and had stayed in their homes on more occasions than could be counted. They had taken vacations together and had spent the holidays together as well. All of them were like family to her, just as Martha, Chester, Jeb, and Constance were.

The aforementioned employees were most thankful for the kind gesture that Mr. Munroe had shown, but needless to say they were rather upset at the thought of having to leave Miss Evie. They argued back and forth for quite some time in the parlor after the reading had been completed. Martha, Constance, and Evie were all in tears through most of the heated discussion, while Chester and Jeb sat in the corner hanging their heads.

"I won't do it. I won't do it. This is absolute nonsense. What on Earth was your daddy thinkin'? Takin' us away without so much as a warnin' and sendin' you off to live with Mr. Billy or Mr. Tim. I've never heard of such." Martha was fuming at this point, pacing back and forth until she practically wore a path in the plush Oriental rug beneath her.

"Martha, I'm not thrilled about the idea of any of this, except for the fact that you all finally have a chance to live your own lives. You've spent so many years taking care of me and my family. It's high time you had the opportunity to do something for yourselves. Papa was right in what he did. He knew I'd be fine. I'll truly miss all of you, but it's time that I move on. And it's time that all of you do the same. Please Martha, I want you to have some kind of genuine happiness in your lives while you still can. Do this for me, please."

The older woman rushed forward and clung to Evie as they both cried. By now, even Jeb and Chester were shedding tears over the thought of leaving a girl whom they all considered the closest thing to a daughter that any of them had.

After much more pleading and consoling, the four finally consented to Jacob and Evie's request. They began to discuss their plans for the future with a bit of trepidation. Jeb had had his eye on a little farm just a few miles away for quite some time. He figured he would buy it and ask the others to stay with him until they had all made their decisions. Martha thanked him for the offer but said she was anxious to see some of her kin who lived in North Carolina. She supposed she would settle close to them. Evie insisted that they all take the addresses for Uncle Tim and Uncle Billy, as they would always know where to find her. She was adamant that they should remain in constant contact and come to see her whenever possible.

Later that same week, once everything had been settled, Evie sat in her room one evening gathering her things and preparing to leave the only home she had ever known. Martha and Constance had helped a good portion of the afternoon with most of the packing; that is until she had finally run them out after insisting that she was perfectly capable of finishing up. After all, they had packing of their own to take care of.

While sorting through some books and papers on her desk, she happened across the letter that she had taken from her father's room the day he died. She had completely forgotten about it during all of the madness that had been going on.

Evie slowly opened the crinkled paper and began to read.

_My little angel,_

_I am writing this while I am still sound of mind and physically able, though as you can see by the horrible penmanship, I may have nearly waited too late. I wanted to discuss some subjects with you that I fear we have never ventured into before. They are very important and I feel as though I would be a terrible father if I were to leave this world without imparting these things to you. _

_From the first moment I laid eyes on you the day you were born, I knew I would do everything in my power to keep you safe and to see to it that you never felt pain or fear or despair. However, sometimes life takes turns we had not originally expected. Things happen that we could not have planned for. I am afraid that this has been the case with many events in our lives, starting with your mother's illness. _

_Evelyn, I have done you a great disservice. I have tried to shelter you even throughout those unexpected situations. Instead of lying to you or keeping all of the facts from you, I should have been honest. I should have made more of an effort to better equip you for the challenges of life instead of trying to make believe that things would always be perfect for you. _

_No one's life is absolute perfection my dear. No one can live in the fairy tales of old. But you can have something that in the end will be much better. You must make your own version of happiness and pure joy; your own fairy tale. You must find someone that you cannot live without and devote yourself to them. But my little ray of sunshine, you must make sure that they love you just as intensely. Your mother and I had that kind of love. It is my greatest wish, as it was your mother's that you find a good man who can love and take care of you the way you deserve._

_I have fallen under scrutiny by friends and acquaintances for my lack of pushing you into a marriage at an earlier age. I should explain, though I believe you already know, that the reason for this was because I realized that you were different. Had you ever come to me and told me that you cared for a certain young gentleman I would of course have given my consent. Other young women your age were already marrying and starting families, but I knew you were not ready at that time. _

_When you told me you wanted to become a nurse, I cannot tell you how much I struggled. I had by that point decided to follow your mother's advice and let you be your own woman and forge your own future, but the idea of letting you do something that would be so frowned upon by those closest to us was a hard decision to make. A society woman does not generally wish to take up such an occupation. Ha, what am I saying? A society woman does not want to take up any sort of occupation, save embroidery, planning parties, sipping tea, clipping flowers, and taking in the latest gossip. You my child are very different in that regard. And so, despite the slight twinge of guilt I feel for leaving you unmarried and slightly unfit for those stuffy society circles, I know I would feel even more guilt if I had tried to force you into being something you simply are not. It would be like caging a bird. I've always thought it a cruel practice and now I suppose I understand why. _

_Now my girl, you must decide what is the best course for your future. Your Uncle Billy and Uncle Tim will be there to help, but I have left specific instruction that they are not to interfere with whatever plans you make. This is your life angel. Don't be afraid to go live it._

_Remember I love you, your mother loves you, and we will wait for you. I do not however expect to see you any time soon, is that clear? I want you to have a long, happy, healthy life so take good care of yourself. After all you're a nurse now. There's no excuse for you to do otherwise. _

_With all my love,_

_Papa_

Evie patted away the tears that were falling with one of her mother's lace-edged handkerchiefs she always kept tucked in her pocket. Her father had known just what she needed to hear and though they had never been said in person, his written words still carried much weight. She would make him proud. She would follow his advice and live the kind of life that he and her mother had always wanted for her.

Evie finished her packing within a couple of hours and then quickly got ready for bed. The day had been exhausting, but she was never more happy to have a task completed. The more she thought on it, the more she realized just how excited she truly was about the prospect of getting on with her life. There was no doubt she would miss her parents and those she had come to know as family every single day, but she felt that moving on was absolutely necessary. Something was calling to her; gently pulling her towards the unknown. And quite frankly, Evie couldn't have been more eager to find out just what that something was.

* * *

Evie's stay at her Uncle Billy's was short-lived. The moment his wife Elaine, who had always thought poorly of Evie's wild ways, began to criticize her speech, actions, mannerisms, and general appearance, Evie decided she could not endeavor to take much more. After a month, she flat out lied to Billy by saying that she simply wished to spend a little time with Uncle Tim and his family. She threw in a line about not wishing to be too much of a burden on 'Aunt Elaine' to soften the blow, especially after witnessing his disappointed reaction. He reluctantly conceded but insisted that once she had finished her 'visit' to Tim's, she would of course come back to stay with them once more.

Little did he know that she had plans in the works that in no way involved her returning to live with his family; particularly his snooty wife. Behind everyone else's backs, Uncle Tim and his wife Christina had been helping her make arrangements to obtain a position at a clinic in West Virginia.

Evie had been licensed as a nurse in the state of Virginia. However, since the majority of states didn't have any licensing requirements for nurses at that time, she could work just about anywhere.

She had heard of the poor mining towns in West Virginia and eastern Kentucky that were in desperate need of help with treating Black Lung patients, as well as taking care of the many mining injuries that occurred on a regular basis. The people of these small communities had very little means of paying for any type of real medical treatment. The mining companies owned the only stores in the area and would basically take everything the miners made for the few provisions these poor people could get.

There were a few men that had grown up here and somehow made it out that ended up returning after they had become doctors. Then there were others who had heard about the plight of the miners and moved to the area, knowing when they did so that the benefit would be helping their fellow man and not gaining any kind of wealth. These brave men were always in need of trained nurses, though few ever answered the call for help. But Evie had, and in a week and a half she would be off to a place somewhere out in the middle of the mountains of West Virginia.

She stayed with Tim and Christina for that week and a half, spending the entire time tying up loose ends so to speak. The biggest one of these was finalizing the sale of the family estate. This had been the one point which her Uncle Tim had argued over concerning her plans for the future. The fate of her childhood home had been a difficult thing to decide, but in the end she had insisted that there was no way she could bear to leave it sitting empty while life took her in a completely different direction.

He had agreed to help her find a buyer after much deliberation. It had not been difficult. The mansion and grounds had been the envy of many of the wealthy families in the area for years. As soon as word got out, Evie had four offers within two days. She discussed it with Uncle Tim and finally settled on the Landry's offer. It was more than generous. In fact, it was probably a bit more than what she herself felt the place was worth. Though to be fair, she had included some of the furnishings; minus what she had already given to Martha, Constance, Jeb, Chester, several friends, and a few local charities. She had also thrown in all of the livestock, with the exception of two of the horses.

The two that she kept were the only things she just simply could not part with. One was a mustang, though not considered valuable at all by the upper elite, which had been a favorite of her father's. He was called Nooncus; named after a character in Jacob's favorite book. The other horse was a bay stallion by the name of Tuss. He had the most beautiful chestnut coat, with a slightly darker mane and tail, and his feet were wrapped with white socks. He had been Evie's horse, her most prized possession in fact. Jacob had given the elegant animal to his daughter on her sixteenth birthday. Tuss had proven himself to be one of the fastest things on four legs as well as one of the best jumpers that any of their friends could ever recall seeing. When Evie made the final decision to sell her home, she convinced Tim and Christina to take the two horses knowing that they would be well taken care of.

A week and a half later, Tim and Christina loaded Evie on to a train along with the few belongings she chose to take. The rest would be stored at Tim's until such time as she had need of them. Billy and his wife Elaine had actually come along to see her off as well, though they clearly were not happy about it. Jeb, Constance, and Chester were all there too. Martha was already in North Carolina and was not able to make the trip back, though she wished Evie all the best in a letter that had arrived just that morning.

After waving and shouting tearful goodbyes from her window, Evie sank down into the leather seat. She then reached into her bag and pulled out the book that would keep her occupied on the journey west.

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_Please let me know what you think. Next chapter will be up in a day or two since it's already completed. Thanks again for taking the time to read this._


	4. Evie's Past Ending Up In England

_The last time I wrote I promised an update the very next day. Well, that's been over two weeks ago. I don't know if anyone is still following along, but if you are, I am **so** sorry. I started down in the ER last week and it has been absolutely chaotic. I truly did mean to get something up a little sooner, but I found myself going back and adding to the chapter I had completed a couple weeks ago. So, I know I promised Evie would be back in the present and our lovely Captain Nicholls would make an appearance at the end of this chapter, but again I lied. Since I added so much to this chapter, it was way too long to post all together. I do have that next chapter complete and I promise that it will be worth the wait. I'm off work on Sunday, so that's when I'll get it on here. It's got loads of Evie/Nicholls interaction. Just to give you a little hint as to what it's about, the title is **'****Her Knight In Drab Green Uniform.'** I think you'll enjoy it. In the meantime, here is the long-promised and overdue chapter that finishes explaining how Evie gets to England. Hope you like it. Please let me know what you think. Reviews are a real treat._

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**Chapter 4:**

The train ride out to Harding was a fairly enjoyable one. Evie certainly could not have asked for a more scenic view than what she was taking in through her window. It was only a few days until November and the wooded Appalachian Mountains in West Virginia were simply breathtaking in the midst of fall with their vibrant colors of crimson red, golden yellow, and burnt orange.

Upon arriving at the tiny rundown building that was considered the local depot, Evie was immediately greeted by a friendly looking gentleman. His hair and beard were gray and he wore thick spectacles, which indicated his advancement in years.

"Miss Evelyn Munroe?" He smiled widely at her as he offered her his hand.

"Yes. And you must be Doctor Wendell Elliott." She took his hand and shook it eagerly.

"The one and only, least in these parts. Though a few months back that caused me a bit of trouble when the local law came round sayin' they heard a fella by the name of Elliott was makin' moonshine. Me bein' the only one anybody knew of in these parts, naturally I became suspect number one. Lucky for me they found some city boy hulled up in the hills out there tryin' to cook his own liquor. Poor fool nearly killed himself cause he accidentally blew up his still when the deputies spooked him. Ha, amateur."

The shocked look on Evie's face must have been downright hilarious because after glancing at her, Mr. Elliott burst into a fit of raucous laughter.

His laugh reminded Evie so much of her grandfather. He had always loved a good joke or funny story as well. She relaxed at the knowledge that she would be working with a man that at least seemed to be friendly and easy going. Some of the doctors she had met at the hospital back home had been just the opposite. A lot of those men had been so narcissistic and self-indulged that they could care less about interacting with the people they worked with.

"Sorry miss. I didn't mean to be so…..well so….." He was still trying to catch his breath and was therefore unable to get a complete thought out.

"Sir, I assure you it's quite alright. I promise you that I have an excellent sense of humor. You don't have to worry about offending me." She could not help the mischievous grin that spread across her face.

"Oh I can tell already that you and I are gonna get along just fine." He gave her a light pat on the back and then picked up her suitcase and headed for the door.

Doctor Elliott led her out to his buggy, where his wife Doreen was waiting.

"Oh child, what in the Lord's creation is someone as fine as you doin' in a mud hole like this?" The woman seemed sweet enough, but she looked at Evie as though she'd grown a second head.

"Hush mom, this here girl has come to help. And ya know we don't turn help away. Course she may regret the fact she ever volunteered for this once she sees what we've gotta deal with. It's already run off three others."

Evie slowly climbed up into the buggy, wondering if she shouldn't just turn tail and run all the way back home. Her mind was racing with the thoughts of what she may have just gotten herself into.

* * *

One year, 6 months, and 2 days after she had first arrived in West Virginia, Evie sat at the kitchen table of the Elliotts drinking a cup of strong black coffee and attempting to go through her post. She'd been so busy the past two weeks that she hadn't even had time to read any of the letters she had received from back home.

There had been a bad cave in at one of the mines in a town several miles away. She and Doc Elliott had loaded up all the supplies they could gather and travelled there immediately to offer their help. They worked diligently, setting and mending broken bones, stitching up cuts and gashes, and performing multiple types of surgery on the more severe cases. Once all of the injured were deemed to be stabilized well enough that the local doctor and their family members could handle their care, Evie and the Doc headed back home to check on their own people.

As Evie flipped through the envelopes that lay on the table in front of her, she caught sight of one that was postmarked from England. She quickly ripped it open and began to read the letter that had been sent by her cousin Harry.

_Dear Evie,_

_How are ya? I know it's been quite a while since I last wrote; going on four months now. I suppose things are still well with ya out there in West Virginia, least I hope so. Things haven't been so well here. Mum has taken ill. She began to feel poorly about three months ago but she continued to drag on. Then a few weeks back she got in terrible shape. She's taken to her bed and the doctor says he doesn't know what to do for her. I'm trying my best to care for her, but Dad needs me in the fields. We're havin an awful time of it this year with the crops. Course we're not the only ones. Most of our neighbors are goin through the same thing right now, so I suppose we can't be complainin about it too much. I wish you were here with us. You'd know what to do for Mum, I just know it. That is, if you were familiar with what's ailin her. She was slightly feverish at the start of all this, but not since. She says she aches all over. Some days it hurts her just to try and sit up. She has these headaches now and again that are just horrible. She's never hungry. We have to force her to eat. Dad is really worried, as am I. We fear she's slowly driftin away from us. If there's anything you can think of that might help in some way, please send it along the next time you get a chance to write. I'm sorry for writin with such bad news. I really do hope things are continuin to go well for you. Please stay safe and take care of yourself. Write as soon as you can. We love to hear from you. Your letters always brighten Mum's day. _

_Your Favorite Cousin,_

_Harry _

Evie couldn't help the tears that began to gather in her eyes as she thought of her dear aunt who was suffering so. Her family needed her most urgently and here she sat, thousands of miles away, feeling helpless. As much as she loved the Elliotts and the work she was doing here in West Virginia, she just had to get to England.

About that time, Mrs. Elliott came through the back door into the kitchen and noticed the sorrowful look on Evie's face.

"My dear, whatever's the matter? You look sadder than a bloodhound that's just lost the trail of a coon he's been chasin'." The old woman always did have an interesting way of putting things. Between her and Mr. Elliott, they kept Evie in stitches most of the time with their witty banter. But today her amusing comment flew right past the young woman without any such acknowledgement.

"It's my aunt. I just read a letter my cousin Harry sent and he says Aunt Beatrice's health is failing rapidly. The doctor there can't seem to figure out what's wrong and they're afraid she could be…." Ever since losing her father, Evie had a hard time saying the words dying, or death, or dead, or really any word relating to what was for her a touchy subject. In dealing with patients of Dr. Elliott's, she would simply say that they had passed. Not that that term was much better, but it didn't seem quite as final as being 'dead'.

Though she had never met her in person, Beatrice's letters had been a constant encouragement and comfort to Evie. She had in many ways helped to fill the gap that was left when Evie lost her mother. Now the thought of losing her as well caused the young woman to break down in front of Mrs. Doreen.

The older woman quickly dropped her things on the table and rushed to Evie's side. "Oh child, it'll be alright I'm sure. You shouldn't let yourself get all worked up like this."

"I need to go to England. Harry says that he can't be there at home to take care of Aunt Beatrice because my uncle needs him in the fields. Apparently they're having an awful year with the farming. So she needs someone who can stay with her through the day. Besides, I've got the training and knowledge to possibly help get her back on her feet. Maybe it won't work, but I still have to try. I can't just stay here and wait for a letter telling me that I've lost yet another family member."

Doreen looked at the young woman who had become like a daughter to her in the short time that she had been in Harding. She and her husband Wendell loved Evie dearly. Her presence had sparked a new energy in them. Her sweet innocence, enthusiasm, and sometimes stubborn determination to make all things right had renewed their own child-like attitude towards the often grueling and exhausting work they had spent so many years doing. But staring at her now, the old woman knew they were going to be losing her. Though she certainly could not blame Evie for the decision she was making, it still broke her heart to know they would no longer have her around.

Just at that moment, Mr. Elliott came strolling into the kitchen from the living room. Neither of the women had heard the front door shut behind him, so engrossed in their own thoughts were they.

"Well what's goin' on here?" Wendell stood there looking like a startled man who had just walked into a hornet's nest.

"It's Evie's family in England. They need her, so she's goin' to help 'em. We need to help her get everything arranged so she can get there as soon as possible."

The doctor looked beyond shocked. He had become so attached to Evie and had thought it would be quite some time before they would lose her. He had always assumed that the day she left them would be the day she married. It may have been a foolish notion, but he had come to see her as a father would view his daughter. He was so very proud of her; noting how much she had grown as a nurse and as an individual in the short time she'd been there. But family was family. He knew he and Doreen would have to let her go. It wouldn't be right to try and talk her out of it. She was a grown woman who was fully capable of making the right decisions for her future. Certainly he would support her.

Only a week later, Evie stood at the little rundown depot saying her goodbyes to all of the locals who had turned out to see her off.

"I swear, it's colder than a well-digger's ass out here this mornin'." Evie couldn't help but chuckle as she listened to some of the local men carrying on. She was truly going to miss these people. Many of them had become rather good friends of hers in the time she had been in their little community. They respected her and were thankful for the help and kindness she had so graciously offered them. To their credit, they had welcomed her with open arms and acceptance. Even after finding out her background, the men and women here had never held her 'upper crust' status against her. Of course, she had felt obliged to show them from the very beginning that she was no self-important, spoiled, uncaring heiress who was simply there for a 'viewing' of the poor folks in the country. She really did mean to help and she proved that from day one.

Being a woman with an extravagant fortune to live off of, she decided to put some of that money to good use. She bought the materials to build on to the school, build a new clinic for the Doc, and a new church. She also helped repair several homes for many of the families in the area. Evie then purchased food supplies, clothes, shoes, books for the children, more building and gardening supplies, and medical supplies to pass out amongst the residents.

The mining company had basically kept all of its workers in poverty by making sure that they were the only ones to bring in and sell any such things to the miners. The 'company store' would charge such ridiculous fees for simple everyday products such as food items that these poor people were never able to get out of debt to them. In order to survive, one basically had to work like an indentured servant their entire life until they died of either exhaustion, Black Lung, or were killed in a mining accident.

The mining company had not been happy when Evie had interfered with their usual way of conducting business. The only thing that saved her life may very well have been the fact that she was a wealthy heiress, and though she had lost both of her parents, she still had people who would go to hell and back to track down anyone who would do her harm. The company couldn't afford that kind of bad publicity and certainly didn't want the law poking their noses into their business.

Looking around as she waited for her train, Evelyn Munroe could not have been more pleased with what she saw. She knew this community would continue to thrive even after she left because they were such strong people. She had managed to set up some stocks filed under Dr. and Mrs. Elliott's names which were to be used for the continued support of the town. If ever there was a need, they would be the ones to have access to the money. Evie had taken investment advice from her Uncle Tim, who was an expert when it came to that sort of thing. She took comfort in knowing that the stocks would yield quite a large sum of dividends for the people she was leaving behind.

"Evie, darlin', you ready?" Mr. and Mrs. Elliott stood beside the train along with the conductor, who was currently eyeing his pocket watch.

She made her way through the crowd and over to the two people who had come to mean so much to her in just a little over a year and a half. It seemed funny how one could become so attached to someone else in such a short amount of time.

"I'll miss you both more than you can imagine." Evie cried as she hugged each of them tightly.

"Now you listen. You'll always have a home here with us. If you should ever have a need for somewhere to go, you just come right on back here as fast as your feet can carry you." Mrs. Doreen was sniffling into her handkerchief.

"Evelyn Grace Munroe, I can't tell you how proud I am to have had the opportunity to get to know you. You're a fine young woman, one of the finest I've ever had the privilege of meetin'. We'll miss you dearly, but life is callin' you in a different direction and you gotta follow it. I don't suspect we'll ever see you again, much as that pains me to say. You've got a talent and skill that few people have and wherever you go, there'll be a need for it. I pray that wherever you settle, the people around you will recognize you as an accomplished nurse and as a sweet, kind, carin' lady. Now don't you be forgettin' to write. Doreen'll be heartbroken if she doesn't hear from you on a regular basis. And I will too."

She pulled the Doc into another hug. "I'll never forget everything you've taught me. I….I just can't thank you enough for all you and Mrs. Doreen have done for me. I promise I'll write at least once a week and if there is any way possible, I'll come back to visit someday."

Evie kissed the old man's cheek, causing him to blush slightly and then hugged and kissed Doreen before hurrying onto the train. Once again, she stood waving and yelling a tearful goodbye out the window to people she had come to love.

That same book that had occupied her on the journey into West Virginia once again helped her pass the time as she left the state, heading for the coast and a ship she would take all the way to England and the new life that awaited her there.

* * *

The trip across the Atlantic was a long one; almost six days to be exact. She arrived in Brighton, a lovely coastal city that she thoroughly enjoyed exploring after she had checked her things into a hotel. She was able to purchase several gifts for her family, as well as some very important medicines and medical supplies that she would need for the care of her Aunt Beatrice.

After making arrangements at the train station for her journey to Tiverton, as the train didn't go any closer to her Aunt's and Uncle's, Evie relaxed back in her hotel room. She had her dinner sent up, preferring that night to eat alone. She loved people, but she'd nearly had her fill of them after the days of being cooped up with so many strangers on the ocean liner.

The next morning, she was up before the sun. Evie dressed quickly and made sure all of the packages she acquired the previous day were securely packed away in her trunks and cases. Once she was satisfied that everything was in its proper place, she rang for the bellman and verified that all of her things were to be sent straightaway to the station.

Her train would be leaving at eleven this morning, which still gave her another four and a half hours to kill. She took the time for a light breakfast and then set out to track down a book of some sort that could help keep her entertained on the next to last leg of her journey.

She came across an old bookstore only a few blocks away. Unfortunately, they had several titles that caught her attention and so she found herself leaving the little shop with an armload of both old and new volumes. She managed to stuff most of them into the little carry along bag she had thankfully packed rather light earlier that morning.

Evie was one of the first to board the train. She had splurged on her ticket and purchased a private drawing room for the trip. She surmised that the quiet would give her some final hours to mentally prepare for the future that was soon upon her as well as to reflect on the past she had left behind.

* * *

"Is that her?" Harry stood there practically hopping up and down as he peeped into the crowd.

"Son, you mustn't get yourself so worked up. I'm sure she'll be along soon." Frank could only shake his head at his son's obvious excitement; though in truth, he was also having a hard time remaining calm. Ever since they received the cable that Evie was rushing to help her Aunt Beatrice, the whole family had been on cloud nine. They all knew of the experience Evie had in nursing and of the opportunities she'd had in the school she attended to learn new techniques and treatments. It had given them all the glimmer of hope they'd been praying for.

"I think that's her. It looks just like her picture. Look Dad, it is her isn't it?" The teenager could no longer contain himself and bolted before his father could reach to stop him. Pushing past the large group of people, he ran up behind the young woman and tapped her on the shoulder.

When Evie turned around, she saw her cousin Harry, whom she instantly recognized from a picture the family had sent to her and her father a few years earlier. Though he had grown a tremendous amount that same bright smile still graced his face and the messy mop of hair on top of his head was unmistakable.

"Harry?" The boy grinned and then without so much as a reply, wrapped his arms around Evie and proceeded to nearly squeeze the life out of her.

By the time he released her, Frank had made his way over to the pair. "Evelyn, I…I can't believe it. You look just like your mother."

She quickly hugged her uncle. For a moment, he seemed paralyzed, his mind drifting to thoughts of his little sister and how she would hug him in a similar fashion when they were children. She had been such a lovely thing and he could clearly see that her daughter had inherited her pleasant temperament, sweet personality, and beauty as well. It would indeed be a wonderful thing to have her here with them. He softened at the thought and drew his niece further into their embrace.

"We're so happy to have you with us. Your Aunt Beatrice is beside herself with joy. She can't wait to see you. I'm only sorry she wasn't well enough to come with us to meet you. But there is simply no way she could have endured the trip. After all, wagons aren't the most comfortable modes of transportation. I'm sorry we don't have something better for you to travel in."

Evie could see the regretful look on her uncle's face and rushed to dispel any ideas that she was so spoilt that she required only the finest of everything. If they only knew of the conditions she had been exposed to during her time in West Virginia, they would realize that there wasn't much they could show her that she would find shocking or disturbing.

"I haven't been accustomed to an automobile for quite some time now. A wagon suits me just fine. I rather prefer horses to those noisy engines anyway." Frank looked pleased at her words, as did Harry.

"See Dad, I told you she wasn't goin' to be uppity at all. She's just as normal as we are." Harry slapped her on the back and, ignoring the disapproving look from his father, began to laugh like a hyena.

Frank was shocked when Evie joined her cousin and began to giggle until tears came to her eyes.

"Alright, we should probably get all of your things loaded and head on home. Beatrice will be looking for us." The three made their way over to Evie's trunks and cases and once everything had been placed in the wagon, they started on their way to the little farm in Devon that would now be Evie's new home.

When they arrived, Harry practically drug Evie off of the wagon and into the house. He pulled her up the stairs, nearly ripping her arm from its socket in the process, and into his mother and father's room. The moment Aunt Beatrice laid eyes on Evie, she began to cry.

"Oh bless my soul, you've really come." The frail woman struggled to sit up but collapsed under the pain it caused her. Evie ran to her side along with Harry and knelt down beside the bed.

"Aunt Beatrice, you just rest now. I'm going to be here for quite some time, or at least until you all grow tired of me. I've come to see to it that you get your health back one way or another. Just you wait and see, you'll be feeling like your old self in no time at all."

The woman wept softly. However, for the first time in more than three months, the tears she shed were ones of joy.

* * *

Within seven months, Beatrice was back to nearly full health. She still had the occasional headache as well as the occasional day when she felt a bit weaker than usual, but other than that, she was virtually cured. Though the doctor was never able to diagnose what her ailment had been, the treatments Evie had begun the moment she arrived seemed to be what was required. Uncle Frank had insisted that Evie's very presence had been one of the best types of medicine; much more effective than anything that came from a bottle.

Over the next year and a half, Evie had busied herself with helping the local doctor (who had been thoroughly impressed with her knowledge and skill) as well as making herself a vital member of the town. She became what many considered indispensable. Whether it was helping financially or physically, Evie was never afraid to jump into work within the community. Her investments continued to grow and the dividends helped many of the farmers who had been struggling with mortgages and the like over the last couple of years, what with the horrible harvest seasons they had been having. She provided relief to more people than the local church or women's charity group had ever been able to in the past.

And speaking of the local church and charity, Evie became one of the highest contributing members of both. While this endeared her to most of the citizens, a few had taken an instant dislike to the fact that Evie was both an American….and a wealthy one at that….and that she was a woman…obviously. Some of the farmers, like Albert's father, had refused the help of a woman. Many still clung to the tradition, much like the society people back home, that women should not be so deeply involved in such affairs. They also did not approve of her free-spirited personality. They would grumble that she was too 'American' for her own good.

But even with these few stumbling blocks, Evie had managed to make a real like for herself in Devon with her family. This was her home now, and she couldn't have been happier anywhere else.

She had met Dottie and Vera shortly after arriving in Devon and the three had become like sisters over the next couple of years. It was because of this that when the time came for the women to make the decision to join up as nurses with the war coming on, they had all immediately agreed to go together. They refused to be separated and had been fortunate that they were assigned to the same group. Now they would face an uncertain future together.


	5. Her Knight In Drab Green Uniform

_Hello there all of you wonderful people. First let me say thank you to all who have been following this story, especially to those who have favorited it. I've been promising for some time now that I'd get back to the good stuff. Well here you go! I loved writing this chapter, though I confess I rewrote it a half a dozen times. But this one is important. It's the first official meeting of Evie and Captain Nicholls. And of course, the Captain comes swooping in to save the day and be the big hero. So naturally it sets Evie up to become instantly smitten. Don't worry though. This story is going to have more of a plot than just an instant lovey romance. Don't get me wrong, I like those but every relationship needs time to grow. Plus they're going to go through plenty of hardships so look out. I'm not telling if this will be a fairy tale ending or a tragedy, so I guess you'll have to stick with me to find out. Please review and let me know what you think of this chapter. I know the last couple have been kind of blah, but I hope you all enjoy this one._

* * *

"Evie wake up." Vera shook her friend in a not so gentle manner. "We're stopping for a rest, though I'd say you've had enough of one. You've been in dreamland for the past two hours."

Evie yawned, rubbed her eyes, and groggily looked around. When she glanced down into her lap, she saw her father's letter. She'd been reading it before she dozed off and guessed it was what had sparked the flood of memories that had washed over her while she slept.

"Why'd you let me sleep so long?"

"Well we figured you'd need it after the night you had." Dottie elbowed her in the ribs as she laughed, causing the blonde to glare at her friend.

"Oh come on grumpy. Let's get out of this uncomfortable wagon and take a bit of a walk. I swear the feeling's gone right out of my feet from sitting here so long." Dottie rattled on as she hopped down from the back of the old wagon.

Vera was the next one out and then Evie, who clumsily jumped and landed on unsteady feet due to the fact that the poor girl was still half dazed.

The three women, along with three other ladies from Devon who had joined up, walked past the procession of carts, wagons, horses, and soldiers. They casually strolled along for several minutes talking and laughing.

As they eventually made their way over to sit beneath an outcropping of trees that stood just off the road, one of the nurses trailed closely by two others came marching towards them.

"Well Evelyn, why were you running so late this morning?" The woman was snickering about her own pathetic attempt at humor with a snarky play on words.

Dottie instantly shot the red-head the evil eye. "For your information, Evie was up all night doing the kind of thing a dedicated nurse should be doing."

"Oh really, and just what might _that_ be?" Once again, the woman seemed to be practically itching to get at Evie with her biting sarcasm.

"Mrs. Jones was having her baby and Doctor Linden was already busy looking after Mr. Wellings. Doc had to operate on his foot yesterday and he wasn't doing so well after the surgery so I went to help with the delivery."

Evie chose to ignore the insulting tone that had been clear in the nurse's voice. She was quite familiar with the woman's poor attitude. Lucy Pennington had been one of the townspeople that had not taken so kindly to Evie's arrival in the area. She'd been nothing but rude to her for over two years now and Evie doubted Lucy would ever treat her with any kind of mutual civility.

"Oh my goodness Evie, we didn't even think to ask you about it before you fell asleep. How'd it go?" Vera jumped into the conversation, seeing that Lucy had made Evie uncomfortable even if she had tried to hide that fact.

"It actually went rather well. Of course, this is her fifth so by now she's an old hand at bringing children into this world. It took a little longer than any of us expected though. I was just getting cleaned up when Harry came barging through the front door downstairs hollering about it nearly being eight o'clock in the morning. I'd been so focused on what was happening that I completely let the time get away. Had Harry not come to fetch me, I never would have made it."

All of the women, with the exception of Lucy and one of her kowtowing lackeys, began to laugh as Evie described her and Harry's frantic nearly two-mile race to meet the group of people heading out for camp.

"So did Mrs. Jones have a boy or a girl?" Susan, a sweet girl who tended to be rather quiet, squeaked out in a tiny voice.

"A beautiful baby girl. You all should have seen her. She was more precious than words can express." Evie smiled as she remembered the image of the new little bundle being snuggled in the arms of her mother.

"What did they name her?" Dottie cut in just as she saw Lucy open her smart mouth to say something.

"Abigail. The perfect name for the perfect little girl."

All of the women joined in a chorus of "Awww"…. even the women that had been previously following Lucy's bad example.

After several more minutes of chatting about the newest citizen of Devon, Evie stood up and stretched her arms over her head. "I think I'll walk a bit more. I need to finish waking up."

She began to make her way back towards the wagon, weaving through the crowds of new soldiers. She passed several horses, including Joey. The poor thing still looked startled and confused. In an effort to help calm his nerves, Evie stopped and patted his nose.

"Don't worry Joey, you'll be alright. This will all be over before you know it and then you'll be back home with Albert."

Evie hummed quietly as she brushed her hand gently along the horse's neck. He whinnied and nuzzled against her shoulder before tossing his head back playfully. "There's the good boy I remember."

She patted him again and once she was assured that the horse had settled down, at least for the moment, she continued on. As she headed past more of the men, several of them began to let out the same whistles and hoots they had earlier that morning as she ran through town flashing her bare legs.

"Well now, if it isn't the little poppet from this mornin'," one of the rowdier men shouted to his buddies. "Hey lovely, you come back to give us another show? Maybe this time you'll let us see more than just those pretty legs of yours."

The ignorant brute and a couple of his friends started coming towards Evie with a lecherous look on their faces that had her quickly glancing around for a route of escape. But when she began to back away, they proceeded to advance on her.

"You men can stop right there." The voice, which sounded like it came from directly behind her, startled Evie and caused her to jump before halting her retreat. When she spun around, she found herself face to chest with the Captain that had been riding in the automobile.

* * *

"I suggest you apologize to the lady for your abhorrent behavior."

The normally easygoing Captain felt his blood boiling at what he had overheard the men saying to the petite nurse. Their lack of respect was appalling. He would have very much liked to take them down a few pegs, but as an officer he had to maintain his composure in front of the troops.

"Ah sir, we're sorry. We didn't mean any harm. We were just havin' a bit of fun with the little lass there."

"I said apologize to the lady, not to me. And while you're at it, you might try a bit of sincerity." He glared at them until the men each said their apologies to Evie and then turned to rejoin the group that was watching from across the way.

"Did I dismiss you?" The men stopped dead in their tracks and reluctantly turned to face the fuming officer.

"Before you go, I want you to know that this type of behavior will not be tolerated. If I ever hear of you insulting or mistreating this young lady or any of the other nurses again, I will personally see to it that you are confined to barracks and receive the maximum field punishment. Or perhaps it will be best if I just have you permanently kicked out of this regiment and sent down to the infantry. If you cannot be respectful and act like gentlemen, then you are not deserving of the uniform and therefore shall not wear it. Is that clear?"

The three looked completely blindsided. No doubt they had not expected the Captain to come across so assertive. He of course was used to this type of surprised reaction. His naturally kind and congenial appearance worked in his favor when it came to getting one up on the men. As long as his soldiers followed regulations, he was indeed one of the easiest officers to get along with. All of the men posted under his command had great respect for him because of that. But the one thing they all knew that these new recruits had not had the opportunity to learn yet was that despite the Captain's gentle nature, he could turn tough as nails when the situation called for it.

"Yes Captain, sir, we understand."

"Very well, you are dismissed." They grumbled as they went away but the officer chose to ignore it. At the present, he was much more concerned about the young lady who now stood before him shaking like a frightened child.

* * *

Evie had remained turned towards the Captain throughout his reprimand of the men. However, now that the two were alone, his intimidating presence had her nervously averting her eyes to the ground.

"Miss, are you alright?" The man's voice sounded much gentler than it had only moments ago.

Unfortunately Evie had a very real fear that if she opened her mouth at this moment, she would begin to mindlessly ramble just as she always did when feeling emotionally or mentally overwhelmed.

As she continued to stand there staring at the ground in a daze, she began to reflect on the fact that the Captain had just saved her from what could have potentially been a very unpleasant situation. There was certainly no plausible way that she could have fended off all three of those hulking men if it had come to that. She owed him a debt of gratitude, but she was finding it rather difficult to voice her thanks to the handsome officer.

"Miss?" When he touched her arm, she jumped once more which in turn caused him to pull back quickly.

"I….I'm sorry. I was just….I was just…" Despite her best efforts to refrain from humiliating herself, Evie knew she was coming across as a stuttering fool.

* * *

Seeing how truly shaken the poor creature was had his ire up once more. It infuriated him to see such a delicate-looking thing thrown into an obvious state of fear and shock simply because those savages wanted to have a bit of fun at her expense.

He had always felt a strong need to defend those that were too weak to do so for themselves. Even as a child he had found himself stepping into arguments and fights whenever he deemed the odds to be unfair or the victim to be unable to act on their own behalf. But this was different. Three full grown men purposely attacking an innocent young woman went far beyond an unfair fight.

His protective instincts, which had no doubt come in some part from having two younger sisters, were threatening to take full control of his actions now. He could see the woman was still trembling and had to force down the strong urge to wrap his arms around her small frame to comfort her.

"It's alright now. There's no need to be frightened. I don't believe those men will be bothering you again." He cautiously moved to place his hand back on her arm. Much to his relief, she did not start this time.

* * *

"I….I cannot thank you enough. Those men….they….they." She was still stumbling over her words, although now she was beginning to think that it had more to do with the man standing in front of her than the men who threatened her earlier.

His presence was comforting but at the same time, had her feeling self-conscious and bashful. And as if that would not have been enough, Evie also found herself struggling with a severe case of jittery nerves and butterflies in her stomach. This man was having the most unusual effect on her and she wasn't entirely certain yet if she liked it.

And speaking of odd effects, Evie's attention was suddenly drawn to the hand that she had only just realized was resting on her left arm. The most perplexing sensation was radiating off of that perfectly splendid, perfectly….well….perfect appendage. The sight of those exquisitely long fingers that were so tenderly wrapped around her frail upper arm would have been enough in itself to cause her to nearly swoon, but the warmth they emitted which penetrated through her dress sleeve had her knees giving way beneath her.

* * *

"Oh gracious, they really did give you a fright." He had managed to get a firmer grip in order to steady her just as he noticed she was about to collapse. This poor sweet creature was clearly still severely shaken.

Once again, he raged internally while trying to maintain a calm and collected presence on the outside. He should have done more to punish those three. Heaven knows they certainly deserved it.

What would have happened if he had not chosen to follow her back when he saw her leave the other nurses? He didn't want to think of it but he knew by the vulgar remarks they had made and by the way they had been coming towards her, no doubt with the intent of cornering her behind one of the many groups of wagons, that the men would very likely have…..

No, he wouldn't let his mind wander there. She was safe now. He had seen to that. And he would make damn sure that no harm came to her in the future. Once they made it to camp, he'd be keeping a very close eye on those three deviants. And he was quite certain that Jamie and Charlie would be more than happy to give him a hand in teaching them some proper manners.

"Please come sit down." He gently guided her over to sit on a large rock at the edge of the road.

"I'm so sorry about what happened. Some men can act as though they weren't raised with any more sense or manners than a wild animal. I'm afraid it's to be expected from at least a few when you have a group this large. Sometimes, it's just a matter of someone putting them in their proper place. They've clearly never had that happen before. I'd say it was high time. Don't worry. Once we get to camp they'll all be far too busy to think about such unsavory activities as harassing young ladies."

She looked up at him with the most beautiful pair of green eyes he'd ever seen and his heart melted on the spot.

He would have to confess that he'd been watching her ever since this morning when she came flying past him in a dead run. He'd found it rather amusing, seeing her hoist herself up onto the back of that wagon only to be pulled into a heap with the other two that had been attempting to help her. He'd gotten a good chuckle out of watching them flail about before finally collapsing into fits of laughter.

When she had yelled out to the boy Albert and promised him that she'd look after Joey as long as was possible, he had been filled with an unusual kind of excitement in knowing that their paths were destined to cross. Of course he had not expected that their first meeting would be under such unpleasant circumstances.

He had looked on as she slept, nodding against the shoulder of one of her companions in the back of that old wagon. He of course had wondered why she had been in such a state, having to literally run to catch the group moving out and why she then seemed to immediately fall into such a deep sleep even though it was far past the hour for normal people to be tired.

He had noted how her long golden waves had come undone, certainly from the little jog she'd partaken in and from her scuffling about with the two other ladies, and whipped about her face in the wind. His chest had suddenly tightened at the sight. He'd never been so stirred by the simple vision of a woman.

When they stopped for a rest, he inconspicuously made his way over towards the trees where he had seen her and the other women wander off to. He heard their conversation, and suddenly realized why she had been racing through town with her skirts hiked so far up that the men had all seen far more than they should of a proper lady. But she had had good reason, and he certainly would not hold it against her given the fact that she'd been doing something as noble as helping to deliver a child.

As the woman had left the others, his feet had begun to move unconsciously to follow her. He'd kept his distance but was able to hear everything she'd said when she stopped to look after Joey. Her words, tinged with a sweet southern American accent, had been gentle and calming. He immediately respected her obvious knowledge of the animal's temperament and her ability to soothe the horse. She had hummed a tune, which once again made an odd feeling begin to circulate throughout his chest. She was angelic, with her hair still blowing in the breeze and her lovely voice floating on the air.

The trip back to the wagon would have been entirely enjoyable if it hadn't been for the incident which caused him to have to step in to protect her.

* * *

When she was finally able to pull herself together, Evie looked up at the Captain who now stood hovering over her. His words had been so kind; his voice so soothing. She still felt a bit jittery, but was finding his presence more and more agreeable as the minutes ticked by. His hand that was still resting on her arm and which had only moments ago caused her to practically faint was now making her feel something entirely different. It emitted a warmth that spread up and out into the rest of her body. She might have found this a bit unsettling before, but now she welcomed it wholeheartedly. The Captain was so obviously a good and decent man. Just being near him made her feel safe and secure.

She flashed him a shy smile and he repaid it with a dazzling grin that lit up his entire face. She noticed how his blue eyes sparkled when he smiled. There was no denying that he was the most handsome man Evie could ever remember meeting.

"Thank you. I'm not usually so flustered, but I'm afraid those men caught me a bit off guard. I appreciate your assistance. I believe I'm alright now. I just needed to catch my breath is all." She made to stand up and he gripped her arm a bit tighter to assure she was steady on her feet.

"I should be getting back now. Thank you again Captain. You are very kind." As Evie turned to head towards the wagon and her waiting friends, she felt that his hand did not immediately release her.

"Please allow me to walk you back, Miss…?" He looked to her for a reply.

"Evelyn Munroe. And certainly, I would be most grateful if you would." He released his grip only to offer her his arm. She took it graciously and they walked in silence for a few moments.

"Captain I hate to bring up an unpleasant subject, but I fear I must explain the events of this morning and apologize for my behavior. It's not every day that I find myself running through large crowds of people in an indecent manner, but I'm afraid it could not be helped today. You see I was…."

"It's alright Miss Munroe. I know why it was necessary." She looked up questioningly at him, not understanding how on Earth he could know why she had been running late.

"Forgive me, I was not intentionally eavesdropping on you ladies' conversation but I happened to be passing by and overheard the entire story. In fact, I must commend you for making it on time. Most men could not have made a two-mile run at that pace and certainly not in those shoes." He chuckled as he pointed to her feet.

Evie couldn't help but laugh. If he only knew how much her feet were killing her right now, he might not think she was quite so tough.

"Well thank you, I suppose. But I do want you to know that I don't make a habit of displaying such unladylike behavior."

"It's quite alright Miss Munroe. It was after all for a very good cause. Nothing could be more important than bringing a new life into this world." He smiled down at her once more and then they continued on in companionable silence for a while.

"Miss Munroe, I'm curious. How did a young American woman such as yourself come to be signed up with a British nursing corps?"

"Oh you've found me out. I wonder what gave me away." Evie and the Captain shared a good laugh at that comment, both knowing full well that she in no way could disguise her southern accent.

"Well I've been a nurse for over four years now. I went through nursing school back home in Virginia. I took care of my father until he passed away and then I went to work with a doctor and his wife in West Virginia for about a year and a half. But when I received word that my aunt had fallen ill, I of course immediately came to Devon to help take care of her. That was two and a half years ago. Up to today I've been living with family here. This place has become my home now. You know I really couldn't imagine living anywhere else now that I've fallen so deeply in love with this country. So when we heard that war was inevitable, my friends and I prepared to help in any way we could. And the best way I knew how was by using the skills and knowledge I have as a nurse."

If he hadn't admired and respected her before, he certainly did now.

"You said your father passed away. I'm so very sorry. You have my deepest condolences."

"It's alright. It was a few years back. I lost my mother several years ago as well. But even though I miss them terribly, I know they're together in Heaven and I'll see them again one day. For now I'm content to believe that they are watching over me, keeping me safe and steering me away from trouble. In fact, it may very well be that they sent you wandering my way just at the right moment earlier."

With that statement, he found himself reaching up to squeeze the tiny hand with which she held his arm.

"Miss Munroe, may I say you are a truly courageous young lady. I regret that I never had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of your parents, but I'm sure they must have been two very fine people to have produced such an extraordinary daughter."

He continued to cover her hand with his as they made the rest of the short trip up the road.

When they reached the wagon, the Captain gently helped Evie up into the back. The other women were already piled inside and looked on in shock as he did so.

"Thank you for the walk Miss Munroe. I hope the rest of the trip is not too uncomfortable. We should be arriving within three or four hours if all goes well." He tipped his hat and turned to make his way to the automobile that remained parked directly behind them.

"Captain, sir, I'm afraid I forgot something."

The curiosity was apparent on his face, but he said nothing, only waited for her to speak.

"Your name sir. I gave you mine, but I forgot to inquire as to yours." She beamed at him and he threw his head back to let out an all too pleasant laugh.

"Captain James Nicholls, milady."

"Well Captain Nicholls, thank you again. I'll forever be in your debt." With her back still turned to the others, she winked at him.

"Think nothing of it. It was my duty and my great pleasure to be able to be of assistance." He winked back and continued on to his car.

"What the bloody hell was that all about?" Dottie slapped her arm and pointed towards the retreating figure.

"Nothing. Nothing at all."

Evie flopped down onto the seat beside her friends and proceeded to daydream for the next three and a half hours about the handsome officer that had come to her rescue.


	6. A Runaway Horse and an Angel's Voice

_Well hello again everyone. I know it's been ages since I last updated, but working in the ER has really been kicking my tail. It's been absolute chaos the past few weeks. My only bit of peace is finding a little time here and there to write. I've rewritten this chapter, taking away and adding to it, multiple times. I hope you guys like what I've come up with. This envolves the scene where Joey gets the first glimpse of his new temporary home and kind of panics. Alright, so I've totally revamped this scene to make it my own, so don't hate me. You'll recognize some of the lines from the movie. So here's the disclaimer. I own nothing of War Horse (boohoo), only Evie and the other new characters and scenarios you see belong to me. Check at the end of this chapter for some individual thank you's to those that reviewed and favorited._

* * *

**Chapter 6:**

"Welcome to your new home ladies. Well, at least for the time bein. Now out you go." The driver of the nurses' wagon had pulled up in front of an enormous mansion and proceeded to shoo all of the women out of the extremely uncomfortable transport.

Just as they were unloading their things, an older woman came stalking towards them with a rather sour expression on her wrinkled face. "You lot will be coming with me. My name is Sister Barnes and I'll be in charge of your group until you ship out for France. Now grab your bags and follow me. We've got a lot to go over so don't be dallying around."

She sharply turned on her heels and marched off, heading back into the beautiful building. All of the women quickly followed after her as none of them wanted to start off on the wrong foot with the old matron.

"Lord help us all," Dottie was mumbling under her breath as they ascended the great staircase and headed towards their sleeping quarters.

"Shush. She might hear you. The last thing we need is to get on her bad side. She seems horrid enough as it is." Vera tried scolding her friend, though it didn't come across quite as stern as she would have liked given that she was having to whisper.

"Alright ladies, here are the rooms you will be staying in." They were standing at the end of a hallway which had four doors…two on each side…lining its walls.

"You three can take this room." The old woman pointed to the first three girls in the group, including Lucy Pennington and one of her friends.

"This next room is quite small, so I'll put only two of you in there. You two can take that one." She had pointed to Lucy's other friend and one of the girls from Devon that had been talking with Vera, Dottie, and Evie before.

"This is the largest room so you four that are left will have it." Evie nearly squealed with delight when the nurse pointed to her, Vera, Dottie, and Susan. She thanked her lucky stars that they had all stayed together at the back of the group and that she hadn't been cursed with having to share a room with Lucy.

"I'm in this room, right near the stairs. We'll be going over all the rules later and I trust you ladies won't have a difficult time obeying them. But just in case any of you get any big ideas about bending or breaking those rules, just know that you'll have a terribly hard time sneaking past me. I hear everything and in case you didn't notice on the way up, the stairs creak something awful. We are in an unusual position here ladies. A group of young, single, unwed women would not typically be thrown into such close proximity to so many young, single, unwed men. Unfortunately, this war has brought about and will continue to bring about many changes to what we consider the normal and proper way of conducting our lives. These are things we must become accustomed to in a very short period of time. Adjustments will have to be made, but….we will continue to conduct ourselves as ladies regardless of the conditions we are required to endure. If any one of you is caught acting in a manner that could be construed as improper, you shall immediately be sent back home. We are here to help save lives. That is all. Do I make myself clear?"

All of the women looked terrified. This woman was a tyrant, but none of them were going to be fool enough to voice that thought aloud. "Yes ma'am." Instead, they all chorused their perceived obedience in one unified voice.

However, Dottie, Vera, and Evie all shared a knowing smile. They'd let the old gal think she was in complete control. But they would no doubt find a way to wiggle out from under her thumb if the need arose.

As all of the women dispersed to get settled into their rooms, Lucy brushed past Evie and leaned in to whisper something to her. "You had best be careful Evelyn. Sister Barnes sounds like the type of woman who won't take kindly to the type of behavior you were displaying this morning. If she catches you getting up to such antics, I'm sure she won't hesitate to send you packing." The red-head chuckled evilly as she continued on to her room, leaving Evie to stand there fuming.

"What did she say?" Vera had noticed that Evie was glaring at Lucy's back as she made her way down the hall.

"Oh, nothing of importance. She was just being her typical wicked self is all. Now come on, let's go see what our home away from home looks like." Evie grabbed Vera's hand and they ran to catch up to Dottie and Susan who were already exploring their new accommodations.

They unpacked their things and put away the brand new uniforms that had been laid out at the foot of each of their cots. Sister Barnes had told them that they could stay in civilian clothes for the rest of the afternoon, but come tomorrow morning and from that point on, they would be in a nurses' uniform at all times unless given permission to the contrary.

When everyone had finished, they gathered in the hall where they were once again met by Sister Barnes. She proceeded to lead them on a tour of the mansion, pointing out the areas they would be working in. As they went along, she lectured them on the rules and regulations she had mentioned earlier. The women smiled and giggled behind her back as she discussed the ones that related to more private matters. It was quite amusing to hear how much thought the military had put into the kinds of trouble its soldiers and nurses could get up to when left alone together. Apparently, the people in charge thought that the women were going to act like common harlots unless they were kept under guard night and day.

Once the ridiculous lecturing was finished, Sister Barnes turned the women over to a Mister Dockery. He was in charge of the household before the military came in to use the estate as a cavalry training camp. The older gentleman had graciously agreed to give the ladies a tour of the grounds. Before she released them, Sister Barnes pointed out that she was only allowing this so that the boundaries outside of the mansion could be made clear.

Mister Dockery didn't seem to care much for the old nurse. As soon as they were out of earshot, he began to grumble about her poor attitude and abrasive personality.

"You'd think she could be a bit kinder to you all on your first day here. Course, she's behaved that badly since she arrived here two weeks ago to get everything prepared. She's even popped off to Master Winchester. I swear I've never seen a woman so cantankerous and disagreeable."

"I doubt she has a husband."

"Perhaps that's what she needs; a man that would line her out."

"No, there's not a man that would have her."

"Alright girls, maybe we're being too harsh. Maybe she's just a sweet old thing who's only concerned for our well-being."

The women had been joking back and forth but then stopped dead in their tracks when one of them seemed to come to Sister Barnes' defense. However, when she flashed them all a mischievous grin, even Mister Dockery couldn't hold back his laughter.

The group made their way around the grounds that spread out in front and off to one side of the mansion, stopping to admire the quaint gardens and sitting areas scattered throughout the multiple acres.

Much to Evie, Vera, and Dottie's delight, it hadn't been long into the little excursion before Lucy and one of the other women had feigned headaches and retired to go lie down while the rest continued their guided tour of the beautiful estate.

When they finally made their way around to the back side of the mansion, all of the women stopped dead in their tracks and their jaws simultaneously hit the ground.

"Oh my, so this is the camp?" Dottie looked out at the rows of buildings that she assumed were acting as officers' quarters as well as the clusters of tents scattered off to one side. All of the women took in the sight of hundreds of men, horses, wagons, and such all milling around the camp that seemed to stretch on as far as the eye could see.

The long rows of newly built stalls that lined the back of those tall buildings, which were not extremely far from the main house, were packed to the hilt with cavalrymen and fresh mounts of all sorts.

"May we go see the horses?" Evie had piped up before she could stop herself, though she knew full well what the answer would likely be.

"Well Miss, I'm not really supposed to take you ladies out there. Sister Barnes was pretty adamant that I steer you all clear of the men. But…you know what? I think maybe it wouldn't hurt to take just a little peek at the stables. You've all got to promise though that if she asks, we were taking an extra bit of time in the gardens." The elderly man grinned as the women all shook their heads in agreement.

They quickly made their way towards what Evie would swear were the largest make-shift stable yards she'd ever seen in her life. She knew they had to house an extraordinary number of horses, but this was absolutely astonishing.

"Well ladies, here it is. I'd say I'd walk you all through, but we really must stay back out of the way. I wouldn't want to see one of you get hurt what with all the spirited horses trotting around here."

Just as Mister Dockery said that, Evie spotted Joey being led by a young man. Well, not so much being led as being pulled uncooperatively along. When he reared up and pulled his lead rope loose from the man, Evie knew he was going to bolt. Just as he turned and sprinted off into the crowd of other horses and soldiers, Evie cupped her hands and blew into them, making the sound Albert had taught her. After much patience on Albert's part, he had been able to train Joey to come to the unusual call.

Joey halted instantly, his hooves digging into the dirt as he came to a sudden stop. He turned back to look in the direction he had heard the call coming from. Evie slowly walked towards him, ignoring the warnings being yelled at her by Vera, Dottie, Mister Dockery, and several of the soldiers. She glided gently along in an effort not to make any sudden movements that might spook him again.

"Hello there Joey boy. It's just me. Just Evie." As she came closer she began to sing softly. The horse nodded his head in recognition and continued to stand in place, allowing her to reach out to take his lead in hand.

Evie slowly turned Joey and began to walk backwards, coaxing him along with her voice and a gentle hand stroking his nose. Her singing got a bit louder as she tuned out the noises around them and focused solely on calming the magnificent animal in front of her.

So focused was she that Evie did not take notice of the shocked and awestruck looks she was receiving from the men. Most of them had stopped what they were doing entirely and were simply staring at the petite woman who was leading along a horse many thought to be uncontrollable. As if the sight alone wouldn't have been shocking enough, they were also floored by the angelic voice that was echoing through the stables and paddocks. It had grown eerily quiet as they all strained to listen to her singing.

Slowly but surely she made her way down the line of stalls. When she passed the midway point, again she did not happen to notice that her audience now included Captain James Nicholls. He stood alongside his friends, Major James 'Jamie' Stewart and Lieutenant Charles 'Charlie' Waverly. When he first heard all the commotion of men hollering down the rows of stalls about a runaway horse, he never would have imagined that this is what he'd be laying eyes on. There she was, Miss Evelyn Munroe, the charming, beautiful nurse he'd met on the way to camp now appearing to hypnotize an animal several times her size with nothing more than her voice. But what a voice it was. He would swear he'd never heard something so sweet.

"Well would you look at that...beauty taming the beast. Have you ever seen such a sight?" Charlie chuckled as he slapped James on the back, startling him only momentarily out of the trance-like stare he had fixed on Evelyn.

"Indeed not, but what pray tell is a woman doing here in our camp?" The Major seemed more than just slightly perturbed at the sudden appearance of a woman with one of his officer's horses in hand and surrounded by a company of his men, which by this point had all stopped their work and were gawking at the female as though she were something not of this Earth.

"She must be one of the newly recruited nurses that Jim escorted in today." When he received no confirmation, no reply of any kind for that matter, Charlie proceeded to tease his good friend and Captain.

"Oh dear. Jamie, I do believe our friend here has already become enchanted by the pretty little siren's song. See how she's bewitched him?" Charlie snorted at the looks Jim and Jamie shot him. One was a look of complete denial while the other was one of utter annoyance and aggravation.

"Charlie, I'm sure I speak for Jim as well when I say that I do not find that the least bit amusing. She has absolutely no business in these stable yards. And she certainly has no business handling such a temperamental animal. Someone had better get out there and take that horse from her before she's killed. I'll not have a woman's blood on my hands just because she insists on acting the fool." Jamie was just about to storm after Evie when he was stopped by a firm hand on his arm.

"She seems to have things well in hand. Besides, if we rush out there now we might startle Joey." James flashed his friend a reassuring smile before releasing his arm. He then moved to quietly follow along a good distance behind the horse.

Jamie and Charlie joined their friend and they all, including the doubting Major, watched in amazement as Evelyn continued to sing while she led Joey all the way to the stall beside which Sergeant Perkins stood motioning for her to stop.

The gruff man stepped up to her and practically ripped the lead from her hands. The moment he did, Joey began to fight once more in an attempt to pull away from him. "No more muckin about. You're in the Army now son."

He backed Joey into the stall and secured the horse behind a moveable rail. "Joey, meet Topthorn. Topthorn, this is Joey. Sort out who's in charge between the two of you, you hear? You wanna fight, get it over with. Cause once we're over there you're gonna need everything you've got for Fritz."

Evie fought to control the anger welling up inside of her as she watched Perkins' rough manner of treating and speaking to Joey. She was just about to open her mouth to give him a piece of her mind when she was interrupted by a very familiar voice.

"Gently Perkins, I don't want to sour him." Evie turned just in time to see Captain Nicholls come strolling up with a group of other officers. He smiled warmly at her as he removed his hat and handed it and his riding crop to one of the soldiers who were standing close by.

"They'll be nothing gentle about the war sir and there be nothing gentle about this one either." Once again Evie had to bite her tongue before she said something to the Sergeant that she might later regret, though she doubted that she would feel any remorse for putting the foul little man in his place.

Stepping forward, James firmly gripped Joey's bridle. The horse whinnied and tossed his head but he held tight. He looked up proudly at the stead and then turned a reprimanding gaze on the Sergeant. "I understand that sergeant, but I want him fit and shining. He's my horse."

"Sir." Perkins looked a bit put out by the tone the Captain had taken with him in front of everyone. As if he were looking for someone to take his frustrations out on, he quickly rounded on the easiest and most obvious target in the area; Evie.

"And just what in bloody hell were you thinkin? Are you tryin to get yourself killed? That horse could have trampled you to death you silly girl." Perkins tore into Evie as though they were the only two standing there instead of being surrounded by several of his superiors.

"Sergeant Perkins, there's no need to speak to the lady in such a way. She seemed to be perfectly in control of the situation. I doubt any of the men could have handled Joey any better." James gave her another pleasant smile, ignoring the snickering coming from Charlie's general direction.

"Yes sir, sorry. But _the lady_ could have been hurt sir. Joey here's got far too much spirit to be playin pet to some….some….female. Hell, he barely even listens to me." The older gentleman was glaring at Evie, who simply smirked back at him.

"Sergeant, if you really want Joey to cooperate maybe you should try singing to him. He does so enjoy a good tune every now and again." Evie enjoyed the reaction she got from the feisty Sergeant far more than she probably should have.

"I'll be damned if I'm gonna sing love songs to a horse." He practically growled back at her.

"Sergeant." That disapproving look was back on the Captain's face. Perhaps swearing in the presence of a lady was going a bit too far.

"Forgive me sir, ma'am." Perkins tipped his hat to her before stalking off.

Unable to resist the urge to prod the man a little further, Evie yelled after him. "I didn't say it had to be a love song. But perhaps if you're not up for singing….you could just whistle. You do know how to whistle, don't you Sergeant?"

All of the officers and enlisted men standing around and walking past could have sworn they saw steam rolling out of Perkins' ears. Try as they might, they couldn't help laughing at the infuriated mumbling that could be heard coming from his swiftly retreating form.

"Scares the living daylights out of me." A lieutenant had stepped up next to James.

"Who?" Evie noticed the Captain was trying very hard to look serious as he inquired of his fellow officer whom he was referring to, though they were all still looking after the furious Mr. Perkins and knew full well he's the only one it could possibly be.

"Perkins. Glad he's on our side."

The men all laughed once more as did Evie before one of the other lieutenants stepped forward and took hold of her hand. "Yes, you should be careful miss. The Sergeant there is one of the toughest men in this company. You don't want to make him angry. Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Lieutenant William Linden." He bowed dramatically before kissing her knuckles.

All of the men rolled their eyes, already being quite familiar with the lieutenant's so-called charms when it came to the ladies. Evie made to pull her hand back but found it was still firmly held in the clutches of said lieutenant. She glanced around until her gaze settled on the brilliant blue eyes of Captain Nicholls. Without saying a word, she was able to communicate her discomfort to him through a look alone.

Thankfully, and much to her relief, he once again came to her rescue. "Gentleman, this is Miss Evelyn Munroe. She is with the nursing group that arrived today." His introduction caused the other men to step in to take their turns greeting the beautiful nurse, which effectively ended the awkward moment she had found herself trapped in with Lieutenant Linden. Many of them made comments about her "Southern American accent" and asked questions about how she came to be there. After a few moments, the raucous died down.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all." She turned to the Major but he made no move to introduce himself as the others had. In fact, he only stood there glaring daggers at her like she was Fritz and he was ready to officially kick off the war right then and there.

In an effort to smooth his ruffled feathers, Evie decided it would be best if she'd do a little groveling and begging for his forgiveness.

"Major, I hope you can forgive me. I never intended to cause such a disruption in your camp. It's just that I'm rather familiar with Joey and when I saw him fly into a bit of a panic and break loose from that soldier….well I…I guess I just reacted without thinking. I was afraid he might hurt someone or himself."

"And were you not concerned for your own safety?" He looked down at her, his tall silhouette making her feel intimidated rather than comforted as she did near the Captain.

"Joey has never made a move to harm me and I do not believe he ever would. He can be a bit skittish until he becomes familiar with people. But I'm being completely honest when I say that he is indeed one of the finest horses I've ever known. He's fast, strong, and loyal. Once he gets to know and trust someone, he's as faithful as man's best friend." She peeped around the Major's tall figure and fixed James with a look that clearly conveyed that that statement had been made for his benefit.

"I should really be getting back to my group. It looks like they're waiting for me." She gestured towards the other nurses who continued to watch anxiously from the far side of the stables.

"Oh my, are those your friends?" Charlie Waverly piped up the minute he laid eyes on the pretty young ladies that Evie was referring to.

"Yes, we are all going to be stationed here at the estate until everyone is moved out to France."

"Well, I look forward to making their acquaintance as well Miss Munroe." Charlie continued to pour on his own charm.

"I'm afraid that will have to wait until another time Lieutenant Waverly. We have training maneuvers to plan for tomorrow." Major Stewart wasted no time in stepping in before his men's focus could be diverted once more.

"Yes, the Major is absolutely correct. Proper introductions can be made at a later, more appropriate time. And now I'll bid you gentleman a good afternoon." She curtseyed slightly and then proceeded to make her way back to her waiting friends, but not before throwing one final smile in Captain Nicholls' direction.

"Well I don't know about the rest of you, but I rather like her." All of the men burst into a round of raucous laughter at Charlie's statement.

While the others joked back and forth about the events of the last several minutes, Captain Nicholls studied Joey. He had already had occasion to witness her power over the horse earlier that day, but her display this afternoon proved Evelyn had a true gift for bringing a skittish animal under control. With every encounter, the petite blonde was making a bigger impression on him. So much so that he found himself wishing he could be in her company much more.

Perhaps Charlie had been right after all. Perhaps he was bewitched by her. Though it wasn't as if he were complaining.

He was brought back to the present when Jamie began to speak once more.

"Not bad, not bad at all. Still, not a patch on my Topthorn." The Major looked back and forth between the two horses, mentally sizing each one up and coming to the conclusion that he had the better of the pair.

"I wouldn't be so sure. I think he's got potential. He's certainly got the bit between his teeth." Absolute pride was shining in James' eyes as he examined Joey. He knew this horse had something special, and by George, he was going to prove it.

Of course, Charlie Waverly was not one to be outdone by his old school chaps. "I actually think my Blenheim is faster than the pair of them."

"Clear off." Jamie huffed a bit before turning to march off, signaling all of the officers to follow his lead.

"Alright gentlemen, listen here. Everything tells us the same story from Waterloo to Omdurman; Pickett's charge to the Battle of Mars-La-Tour. The first attack can and should be the decisive one."

"Perkins." He looked to his left to find the Sergeant falling right in line with him.

"Yes sir?"

"No excuses, no mistakes. Every horse groomed and fit for presentation. I want a full practice charge tomorrow."

"Sir."

The men were smiling as they marched off to begin readying themselves for the next day. A charge in full dress uniform and a race to see for once and for all who truly had the finest mount; they could hardly wait.

* * *

"Have you gone completely mad? Rushing out there like some sort of…of….lunatic. That's what you are, a lunatic. You could have been killed." Vera was frantically waving her arms about, nearly smacking the other women standing around her.

"Oh please Vera. If I thought Joey was going to stomp me to death I most certainly wouldn't have tried to get anywhere near him." The blonde only grinned as she saw Dottie shaking her head as well.

"Your friend is right miss, those horses are unpredictable. They can hurt grown men and they can most definitely hurt a little thing like you; no offense miss." Mister Dockery was running a shaky hand through his hair and appeared to be perspiring much more profusely than he had at any point during their walk earlier.

"No offense taken Mister Dockery. Please forgive me for worrying you so. I've known Joey for quite some time and I know he'd never hurt me. If it had been any other horse, I would have stayed put right here with the rest of you. Now come on everyone. Don't be so upset. The fact is you ladies should be thanking me for that little stunt. It gave me the opportunity to meet some very handsome officers, who by the way are all quite anxious to meet each of you."

All of the women went from worried or slightly angry to giddy and beaming with excitement in a matter of seconds.

"Are you referring to that large group of men that had you surrounded?" Dottie was practically hopping up and down with joy. The thought of meeting some young, handsome, and available officers was nearly too much for her to take. She wouldn't be able to contain herself until it happened.

"Yes, and I think I've already found the perfect matches for you and Vera." Vera looked cautious and a bit apprehensive, but Evie knew deep down inside she was already rehearsing what she'd say when she was introduced to the men.

* * *

_Just a quick story note: The song Evie was singing is "My Lagan Love." Hence the remark from Sergeant Perkins about not singing love songs to a horse!_

_OhSoFabulousDarling: You're so sweet. I've missed you, but I completely understand about the house hunting. I've been through it myself and I swear it's enough to make a person insane. I can't believe your grandmother's name was Evelyn. I've always just adored that name and knew when I started writing this that I just had to use it. I hope you continue to enjoy the story. _

_NotSoWhimsicalWonderland: I'm glad your liking it. I'm so sorry about the long delay on getting this chapter out. But hopefully my schedule will calm down a bit in the next week or two so I'll be having a lot more time to write. I've got a ton of ideas for the next few chapters floating around in my head. Now I've just got to get them down and pass them along to you!_

_PondGirl11: All I can say is Wow. And also, I want to give you a big hug. You absolutely made my day with your review. Oh heck, who am I kidding. You made my week. I'm so glad to hear that you enjoy my writing and your compliment had me simply beaming from ear to ear for days. Please keep letting me know what you think. It's a huge help and encouragement._

_Laurel West: Thanks. Glad you like it and I hope I can continue to keep you entertained. I really appreciate the review._

_compa16: And more you shall read. I'm hoping you like this chapter and I promise I've got plenty of fun stuff up my sleeve for the following chapters. Lots more Evie/James interaction, more of Evie getting into "interesting" situations, and some other things that will hopefully make it worth your while to check out. Let me know what you think._

_Thanks to everyone out there who reviewed, favorited, or just started reading this story. You are really great and you make me happy, happy, happy!_


	7. With a Wink and a Smile

_Alright, so the first thing I must do is grovel at your feet and beg for forgiveness. I don't know that any of my original followers are still with me, since I've done such a disgraceful thing as disappearing for almost six months. All I can say in my own defense is that sometime around November, all inspiration just left me. My job at the hospital was taking such a toll on both my physical health and personal time that I couldn't even begin to focus on anything else. I know that seems a pitiful excuse, but it's all I have. After months of going through some pretty serious medical problems, I am finally on the mend and getting back to my old self. And I am very happy to report that the love of writing and the inspiration for doing so are swiftly returning to me. YAY! I've missed it terribly, as I've missed all of you. Thank you so much for the reviews, follows, and favorites that I received during my absence. I am pleased to tell you that I am moving forward full force with this story. I'll be back to updating regularly. If you all have any thoughts, ideas, or suggestions as to things you'd like to see in the story, please feel free to let me know. I have a lot planned for James and Evie, but always welcome extra input. _

_Anyway, here's the usual disclaimer. I own nothing of the War Horse novel or film. All of that belongs to the supremely talented Michael Morpurgo and Steven Spielberg. None of the characters, including the dashing and dapper Captain Nicholls, belong to me. (Throws self on floor, wails, and pounds fists and kicks feet all while screaming, "But I want him, I want him!") I only claim the original characters of Evelyn Munroe, her family, friends, and acquaintances. _

_And now, without further ado, the next chapter…._

* * *

_**Chapter 7:**_

It had been just a little over a week since the women first arrived at the training camp. Unfortunately, the highly anticipated meeting between them and the dashing officers had still not occurred; at least not in the sense they had hoped for. Oh they had _seen_ the men in passing, had even exchanged a pleasant "Good morning" or "Good afternoon" here and there. But the opportunity for proper introductions and getting to know the officers better had illuded them.

So far their days had predominantly been spent tending to strained knees and elbows, twisted ankles, sprained wrists, minor cuts and scratches, and bruised backsides. Then there was the occasional broken bone that would require splinting or wrapping. A couple of the boys had even managed to land themselves in traction after fracturing their femurs and successfully ending their brief careers as cavalrymen.

One of these incidents had occurred during the very first practice formation and charge the day after Evie had made her rather memorable 'debut' in the stable yards. Fortunately Sister Barnes had had the foresight to see to it that the women, armed to the hilt with bandages and antiseptic, were standing on the sidelines of the field waiting in anticipation of any accidents that were almost certain to take place. After all, it was well known that most of these men had little to no experience partaking in such activities. The wealthy officers were familiar with fox hunts and jumping courses but many of the poor farm boys hadn't done a thing that could be remotely compared to charging across a grassy expanse at breakneck speed with swords drawn; screaming at the top of their lungs and in full dress uniform to boot. Someone had been bound to be hurt and so when the poor young private tumbled off the back of his galloping horse during the second drill, no one seemed too surprised.

Evelyn had been one of the first to rush out to the boy. He was lying there screaming in agony and when she had knelt down beside him she saw exactly why. The bone had snapped clean in two and the top portion had punctured right through the muscle, skin, and those new blue uniform pants. The jagged, blood-covered end was protruding out and had some of the other inexperienced nurses along with several of the more squeamish soldiers nearly sick from the sight. Sister Barnes, Evie, Vera, and one of the other girls named Ruth had worked diligently to secure the leg as best they could while some of the men had rushed to get a stretcher and round up the wagon that mercifully sat waiting nearby.

Evie had been thoroughly impressed by how helpful Captain Nicholls and Major Stewart had proven to be. The Major had shouted out orders to the men, directing them to carefully lift the private and load him without painfully jostling him around. Meanwhile, the Captain had remained by the private's side speaking gently in an effort to calm and reassure him. The officer had also ridden back to the estate with the women and helped carry the new patient into the medical wing. When Evie had come out of the room once the young soldier had been situated, she'd practically run smack into James who stood waiting for word on the boy's condition. His deep concern for one of his men was evident and caused Evie to look on him with an ever-growing sense of admiration.

"Miss Munroe, please tell me that poor young man is going to be alright," he'd said in such a pitiful voice it had made Evie's heart ache. She had settled his nerves by explaining that the doctor on staff was a rather accomplished surgeon and that he would be able to mend the private's leg, though he'd no longer be able to serve in the military and certainly wouldn't be riding a horse anytime soon.

* * *

Over the next few days, Evie's only opportunity to catch a glimpse of the good Captain was when he would drop by in the evenings to check on the bed-ridden soldier along with any others who would sustain injuries during the long hours of training. One night while he was running through the typical line of questioning as to the condition of his men, Evie remembered something she had been too busy or too distracted to bring up in earlier conversations.

"Captain, I hope you'll forgive me for the…um….delay. But I've been meaning to congratulate you on your victory the other day." When she smiled up at him he began to feel his face grow rather warm.

"Well Miss Munroe, I'm afraid that you're congratulating the wrong participant. All of the glory and praise for that win goes to Joey." As they spoke, James offered his arm and Evie graciously took it without hesitation. They began to slowly make their way down the hall and towards the main staircase.

"While I know how fine a horse Joey is, I also know that had you not spurred him along with a little encouragement, Topthorn would likely have kept his lead. It takes a talented mount _and_ rider to make a winning team. Each must know the other's strengths and how to help pull those out...to encourage them as you did. But you must also understand each other's weaknesses and how to help your partner overcome or compensate for them. When one falls behind the other surges forward and pulls their partner along with them. You fill in the gaps for one another….so to speak….as you anticipate each other's every movement. You think with a like mind and act with a like body. This is what a rider and horse should be...riding together as one. And that is what makes an unstoppable, never-wavering force to be reckoned with."

James came to a halt so abruptly it was as though he'd walked face first into an invisible wall. The action caught Evie off guard and had her stumbling slightly when the arm that was looped through his was tugged backwards. When he turned to her, Evie saw an almost dumbfounded expression on his handsome face. "That is one of the most profound and poetically-worded statements I've ever heard about horsemanship. And one of the most accurate might I add. By your words, I believe I can deduce that you yourself have spent some time as an equestrian."

Now it was Evie's turn to blush. He had thought her words were poetic and profound. What a shame that they hadn't been her words at all. She wasn't quite sure what had come over her as she began to quote her grandfather, but she was thankful she hadn't simply rattled off a bunch of nonsensical rubbish. As nervous as she felt, Evie was surprised she could string more than two coherent words together much less be able to repeat verbatim a statement which would impress the Captain.

"Well, yes. I've been riding horses for as long as I can remember. But I couldn't possibly allow you to believe that I was the author of such deep and insightful words on the subject. The honest truth is that my grandpa was the one who told me all those things about horsemanship. You see…he was in the cavalry as well. During our Civil War, he fought as a Union officer. He was such a talented soldier and equestrian that he moved through the ranks rather quickly. Unfortunately he was wounded at the Battle of Opequon. Had it not been for that, I've no doubt he would've made the cavalry a lifelong career since it was already such a big part of who he was. I suppose that's why it was so important for him to pass along his love of horses to Papa and me."

"My, my….well I understand now."

"Understand what?" He simply smiled at her confused expression.

"I must admit that ever since I saw you with Joey in the stables that first day, I've been curious about what appears to be the natural ability you have to calm timid creatures. Your lack of fear around an animal that was clearly upset and could have very well trampled you to death had he a mind to was simply….well….for lack of a better word….impressive. I assumed that you must have had quite a lot of experience with the proper handling of such animals." Her head dropped just a bit and he reasoned it was due to the fact that she was trying to hide the beautiful dark pink shading that was growing on her cheeks.

"I spent a good portion of my childhood following my grandpa around the stable yards. He had me up on the back of a horse before I was even a year old. My papa told me that when he and my mama looked out into the field and saw Grandpa galloping along with me in his arms, Mama took off as fast as her feet would carry her. She snatched me down off of that horse and proceeded to give Grandpa the worst scolding Papa had ever seen. When it was all over, the five of us walked back to the house. Grandpa, Papa, and Mama were as silent as church mice but they always claimed I was screaming my lungs out, apparently feeling devastated over having my ride cut short. And I say there were five of us because Papa said even the horse followed along behind with his head hung down in shame as though he knew he'd been a part of something very naughty. The funniest part of the whole thing was that even after having faced Mama's wrath, Grandpa continued to take me riding. He just began waiting until she made her day trips into town."

James took in the countenance of Evie's face as she shared her story. The love, affection, and sheer adoration she felt for her family was shining in her bright eyes. As she laughed openly, her already beautiful smile became dazzling. It caused the dimples in her cheeks to show more prominently which he found brought out the purity and innocence in her. He noticed her cheerful tone and the way her entire posture and frame relaxed as though the very act of speaking about her loved ones caused a kind of peace to wash over her. It was in that moment that he began to feel an entirely new level of attraction towards the young nurse.

Evelyn suddenly realized she was going on and on.

_**That poor, poor man. He must think I'm a completely obnoxious windbag. Why must I constantly make an utter fool of myself in his presence? Ughhh!**_

"Forgive me Captain. I didn't mean to bore you with my silly childhood stories." Her gaze had dropped even further to the floor in an effort to hide some of the embarrassment. But when she heard the sound of his gentle laughter she couldn't help looking up. A warm, genuine smile was spread across his face. The corner of his eyes were wrinkled and his bright blue irises were twinkling.

"My dear, you most certainly were not boring me. I feel honored that you'd share such fond and delightful memories of your family. And may I say that I would have welcomed the opportunity to meet your grandfather. Hearing that story alone, I can immediately tell he was a very interesting and entertaining old chap. And given his background, I've no doubt I could have learned a great deal from him." Evie's heart swelled a little at hearing him make such a statement.

"So he taught you how to ride?" She nodded her affirmation to his question.

"And do you still enjoy it? Riding….I mean." Before an answer left her lips, James knew what she was going to say. He saw how quickly her face lit up at the mention of the activity.

"Oh my, yes. Though I must admit it's been a while. I had a horse back home in Virginia. But it wasn't feasible to bring him with me to England, so I left him to one of my father's partners and his wife. Of course Uncle Frank has two horses, but when I arrived here there always seemed to be far more important things that needed taking care of than my trotting around the countryside of Devon."

"That's a shame. I don't know that I'd be able to give up doing something I love so much. Just like you, I grew up on the back of a horse. I've been at it so long that it's become second nature to me. In fact, it's when my feet hit the ground that I feel I'm out of my element." His openness was something she never would have expected. Though she probably should have. Captain James Nicholls was shaping up to be one of the most honest and straightforward people she'd met in some time.

"So tell me more about this horse of yours." His request took her aback as she was sure he would want to wind up their conversation so that he could retire after such a long, rough day of training.

"Oh, you mean Tuss? He was given to me by my father as a present for my sixteenth birthday. You know this might sound a little ridiculous, but he's one of the things I miss the most about home. I guess that's part of the reason why I became so quickly attached to Joey. Of course, it didn't hurt that they both look so much alike."

"Really?" James looked a bit surprised.

"Yes. Tuss has the same chestnut coat, the same white socks. The only difference between the two is that Tuss lacks the white star on his forehead that Joey carries. Well, that and the fact that Tuss is an amazing jumper while Joey seems to absolutely loathe the activity." They both had to chuckle at that one.

Evelyn couldn't have been more right about Joey. The truth of the matter was that the horse not only shied away from tall obstacles, he flat out refused to even make an attempt at them. James had been unlucky enough to find that out the hard way on the day of their first practice. After he and Joey had wiped that aggravating smirk off of Jamie's face by leaving him and Topthorn in their dust earlier in the day, James decided they would take a stroll around the grounds before returning to the stables. Upon arriving at a hedgerow that was clearly part of the estate's elaborate jumping course, he spurred Joey into a full on gallop and was given a nasty shock when the horse came to a dead stop right in front of said hedgerow. Of course, Newton's Law proved its validity when the poor officer continued in his forward motion up and over the horse's head. Thank goodness, his path of trajectory sent him flying straight into the bushes. If he'd hit the ground directly he would likely have become another one of Evie's patients.

"Um…yes…well….you've no idea how right you are." Evie didn't prod James to expound any further; especially when she noticed the slight wince he gave as an undoubtedly unpleasant memory flashed through his mind. They simply shared another jovial laugh before descending the staircase and stopping at the main entrance.

"Well Miss Munroe, it has most assuredly been a pleasure but I must be getting along. I'm afraid I've already taken up enough of your time for one evening." He didn't truly wish to leave, but he felt he'd most likely worn out his welcome. Besides, he wouldn't want to get her in any kind of trouble if she had things she needed to attend to.

"Nonsense. I've enjoyed our conversation immensely." Being this close to him made her feel so warm and, dare she say it, content. Evie dreaded the loss of that feeling but made to pull her arm away as she knew he had to leave. But just as her arm slipped through his, he reached up to delicately grasp her hand. With bewilderment, Evie watched as James lifted it to his lips and placed a tender kiss to the cool flesh on the back of the now trembling appendage.

"Until tomorrow then. Goodnight Miss Munroe." The release of his grip was more disappointing than she had expected. His lips had left a warm, tingling place on her hand but with the loss of contact, it quickly began to fade away. She longed to feel that warmth for much longer than a few fleeting moments.

"Yes. Goodnight Captain. Pleasant dreams."

_**Oh jumping Jehoshaphat, what in blue blazes are you thinking? How could you say something so completely….completely…**_

"Oh I dare say they will be most pleasant tonight." James winked at Evie and she nearly melted into a gooey puddle on the beautiful mahogany floor.

Now when Evie was younger, she and her friends had always made jokes about the 'swooning' women of their mothers' and grandmothers' generations. They used to find it rather amusing how women would simply faint at random intervals for seemingly no reason whatsoever. Overly tightened corsets had always been the go-to excuse…the obvious culprit…for the older women but the girls surmised that they tended to act a bit more dramatic back then as well. Now here Evelyn Grace Munroe stood feeling like the air had been knocked right out of her and praying that she'd be able to stay on her feet until James got out the door. She had to suppose this was some wicked form of payback or justice for all the mocking she'd done way back then.

The only reply she could muster was a rather silly grin that smeared itself across her face. James bowed quickly before making his way out the door and off into the night while she stood looking after. Evelyn realized the moment his figure disappeared into the darkness that she could barely wait for tomorrow evening. So lost in her thoughts was she that Evie hadn't happened to notice the deep red coloring and embarrassed expression that painted the young captain's face as he left.

* * *

_**My God man, what in Heaven's name were you thinking? How could you be so crass? Do you realize what you just insinuated? "Oh I dare say they will be most pleasant tonight." You fool. You idiot. And to make matters worse, you winked at her. Winked! As if you hadn't already led her to believe you were some filthy, lecherous scoundrel by your words alone. Oh no, you had to firmly reinforce the idea by winking. You barely know the young woman and this is the way you choose to present yourself. Well, that's just fine old man. You've likely obliterated any small chance you may have had with Evelyn. **_

_**Oh no you don't! You don't get to call her Evelyn. Not after the performance you just put on. Not after you just humiliated yourself in front of that sweet, kind, lovely young woman. You don't deserve such a fine, upstanding lady such as her. She won't give you a second glance after tonight and good for her for not doing so. You had better just slink off to whatever cave you crawled out of and stay there until you can act like a proper, civilized human being.**_

Poor James was kicking himself in the backside all the way to his quarters; rambling on and on in his head about how much of a sodding fool he was. It had only been an innocent remark and a simple gesture, but the combination of the two had perhaps not been such a brilliant thing after all. He was practically drowning in his shame and disgrace. He wanted to beat his head against a wall, but knew that wouldn't do any good since he'd only be thrust back into her presence when the self-inflicted injuries landed him in the medical ward.

Of course he hadn't really meant it _that_ way, but after the fact even he had to admit that it must have come across as extremely suggestive. Certainly he didn't think of Miss Munroe like that. Not that she wasn't beautiful, or that her skin wasn't soft as satin, or that her blonde curls didn't have the shininess and texture of Oriental silk, or her eyes didn't remind him of the most vivid green forest he could recall ever having seen.

_**Good grief. Charlie was right. I've fallen head over heels for a woman I barely know; a woman I have just thoroughly insulted. Wonderful. **_

Once he'd made it back to the safety of his room, James immediately slumped into the chair at his desk and began sketching. It was an act that, since childhood, had helped him calm down in moments of duress. It always seemed to clear the fog that sometimes befuddled his brain and allowed him to think more clearly; to work out or work through whatever it was that was troubling him.

After almost an hour of working on yet another depiction of Joey, James' nerves had settled considerably. He had come to the definitive conclusion that he could not simply avoid Miss Munroe. The blatantly obvious fact was that he did not wish to. And so, he would have to apologize and beg her forgiveness at the first opportunity. He would simply explain that he had not intended to offend her in any way; that he had only been jesting. It had been a poorly thought out, uncouth, and wholly improper thing to do. But he would promise to never do something so foolish and indecent in her presence again.

Yes, that should do the trick or at least he prayed it would. Now he only had to wait the unbearably long hours until tomorrow evening to find out.


End file.
